Pogacar has encouraging words for Evenepoel and praises Arensman: "I knew then that he was a super rider"

Pogacar and Arensman were born in 1998 and 1999, respectively, and have known each other for some time. In 2018, Pogacar won the highly regarded Tour de l'Avenir, also known as the Tour for U23 riders, ahead of... Arensman! Seven years later, they stood side by side on the podium of a tough stage in the Tour de France: Arensman as stage winner and Pogacar in the yellow jersey.

Behind the scenes, the two had a private chat. “This is how a breakaway should win,” Pogacar said to the Dutchman after being the first to congratulate him. He had already shown that respect during the stage by saving his bursts of speed for the challenging final climb in the Pyrenees after the hard work of Nils Politt and others.

“Hats off to Arensman, that was an incredible performance and well deserved. I've known him since the Tour de l'Avenir, where we rode together at the front in the final mountain stage. I knew then that he was a super rider, and he has shown that again today,” Pogacar said in his flash interview. “I'm happy for him. And I'm happy to be in yellow,” he summarized the day in a few words.

Pogacar navigated the day without any issues, although he found the descent from the Tourmalet to be a bit treacherous. “It was so foggy there, you could hardly see anything. It was cold, wet, and rainy, which made it even harder. The pace was very fast from the start, but it was a tough day. And we got through it well.”

On the climbs, he responded to two attacks by rival Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike). “I expected Jonas to try earlier on the climb,” said the Slovenian. “He went with four kilometers to go.”

“I reacted well, but I didn't have the strength to counterattack and give it my all,” said the Tour de France leader honestly. “So I decided to control the stage until 250 meters and sprint for second place.”

“There are still a lot of mountains to come, and I think Jonas was already better in this stage. He won't give up and will attack in the Alps, or even on Mont Ventoux. I expect another tough battle.”

At Sporza, Pogacar also commented on the withdrawal of Remco Evenepoel, who was third in the GC. “We talked yesterday about how you go from day to day, with journalists always talking about the next victory. I told Remco that you have to live in the moment, because you don't know when your last day on the bike will be, in the Tour or your career. I feel very sorry for him,” said Pogacar.

“I don't know why he withdrew, but that's sport. You can get up and feel bad. Then you can't force yourself to continue. I wish Remco all the best and hope he recovers quickly. But he doesn't have to come back too strong, eh,” laughed the Tour leader.