Pogacar explains his thoughts while competing against Arensman and Vingegaard in the Tour de France stage to La Plagne

Tim Wellens, in particular, did some impressive work at the front on the first climbs of the day, but as La Plagne came into view, the other GC teams started to look for opportunities. “We rode very well until the final climb, but other riders thought they could sprint up that 19-kilometer climb,” said the Slovenian, referring to Decathlon AG2R, among others.

Pogacar also went early, but saw that his big rival Jonas Vingegaard was constantly shadowing him on behalf of Visma | Lease a Bike. “The pace was incredibly high at the start, and I thought for a moment that Jonas also wanted to win the stage, but in the end, he was just on my wheel,” he said, not giving anything away.

This created opportunities for the eventual stage winner, Pogacar explained. “Arensman attacked at a good moment, and I decided not to follow. I kept my own pace, out of defensive considerations. I felt comfortable with that,” said the exhausted-looking Tour leader. “Now I'm just glad it's over: there are two days to go until Paris.”

“I had to ride at the front the whole climb and was pretty tired at the finish,” said Pogacar. “I’ve had three tough days and am glad that the end of the week is approaching. It’s still the Tour de France and we have to stay focused for two more days,” he said, warning against overconfidence ahead of the final stages of La Grande Boucle.