Pogacar ecstatic with yellow jersey but gives update on badly injured Almeida: “We’ll have to wait and see what the hospital says”

This marked Pogacar’s 101st victory in his professional career. “I’m very happy with today’s win,” he said in the post-stage flash interview. “We did it almost perfectly. Unfortunately João crashed. Hopefully he’s okay. If he’s okay, then it’s a perfect day, but if not, then this win is for him. Right now I just hope he doesn’t have anything serious.” Almeida crashed about six kilometers from the line and was left sitting on the roadside with visible injuries.

Normally, the Mur de Bretagne would have been the scene for another duel between Tadej Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel, but that didn’t happen. “Mathieu and I know this finish very well, we both have good memories here. We both wanted to win on this iconic climb. But I think he gave too much yesterday, so today there was no rematch. For me, the day went as planned, and the win is great.”

On the first slopes of the famous climb, it was UAE Team Emirates - XRG that massively ramped up the pace. “We did an amazing job, all my teammates were perfect on this hot day. We put a lot of effort into keeping our bodies cool. It was also a really fast day. Tim (Wellens, ed.) did a great lead-out. Normally João would be there at that point, but he had crashed.”

That meant the team had to improvise in the final kilometer: Pogacar found himself alone against his biggest rivals. “Luckily Jhonny (Narváez, ed.) came up just then, he did it perfectly in the last kilometer. He kept everything under control until the sprint, it was perfect for me.” The yellow jersey is back on familiar shoulders. “Back in yellow! Hopefully I can get two calm days now,” Pogacar said with a smile.

After the podium ceremony, the overall leader gave an update on his fallen key domestique. The Portuguese rider has gone to the hospital to check for any fractures. “We have to wait and see. He’s gone for an X-ray now. I hope he’s okay because he’s in great shape, and it was a luxury to have him up there in the GC. Today wasn’t perfect, but I’m happy to be in yellow.” Almeida sustained, among other things, a bruised rib and a finger injury.

Fortunately, the world champion still has an incredible team around him. Tim Wellens made sure that only the top three in the general classification could follow his wheel. Pogacar had nothing but praise for the Belgian. “Tim is Tim. He’s a magnificent rider. He’s good at so many things: he’s an excellent pilot, has great skills in the peloton, always knows where to position himself, stays calm, and thinks ahead. He has the legs of a classics rider, and I’m glad to have him.”

That Pogacar wanted to win here was clear early on: the gap to the breakaway never exceeded a minute and a half. In the Critérium du Dauphiné, he already hinted that the Mur de Bretagne was a big target. “It’s a beautiful finish, iconic,” he explained after his victory. “It’s the same finish as in 2021, when Van der Poel won in heroic fashion. You can control this stage. I was really looking forward to it.”