Pogacar explains benefits of giving up the yellow jersey at the Tour de France: 'Can't really measure it'

On Tuesday, Stage 4 of the Tour de France seemed like the perfect day to give up the yellow jersey, and UAE and Tadej Pogacar did just that. The team from the Emirates let the breakaway group pull far ahead, and as a result, Torstein Træen of Uno-X became the new leader. Afterward, Pogacar explained that decision to Cyclingnews and others.

After finishing 3rd in the opening time trial, 2nd in Stage 2, and winning Stage 3, the world champion found himself all the way down in 33rd place in Tuesday’s stage results. As a result, the yellow jersey went to Træen, who holds a lead of several minutes. “We kept our cool in this heat. Right at the start of the stage, I had a bad headache and thought this was going to be a long day,” Pogacar said afterward.

The UAE riders stayed cool by drinking plenty of water. “That’s when things went well. We knew that if Trek or a similar team got into the lead group, it would probably be a breakaway day. Trek did a great job, they had three riders up front, and we stayed calm and in control, and I think we crossed the finish line without expending too much energy.”

That means the number of days in yellow remains at 1 for now. “Of course, it takes some energy when you have to lead out because of the yellow jersey, but I think Nils (Politt, ed.), Florian (Vermeersch, ed.) and Tim (Wellens, ed.) did a great job today by sharing the workload, and I think we did a good job. All in all, a good day.”

Not wearing the yellow jersey has its advantages, as Pogacar knows. “I don’t think you can really measure it: some days there’s probably a lot of stress from the media, other days it’s easier. It just depends on the day, and it’s hard to say. I’ve been on the podium many times and have often had to put in extra work.”

So Tuesday was definitely different. “Today I have an hour and a half fewer commitments, so that definitely helps with my recovery. But I think I’m used to all that podium stuff by now, and we have a good routine. I have great support staff and people who help me stay cool and calm and recover as well as possible, even when we’re on stage.”

With the first real mountain stage on day six, which crosses the Col du Tourmalet, it's clear UAE will have fight on their hands. “The goal, of course, is to reclaim the yellow jersey. But you never know—they’re really good, and the lead is pretty big right now, so we’ll see. We’ll fight, but I think they can keep the yellow jersey on the team for a long time yet,” Pogacar said of Træen and Uno-X.