Pogacar, jokingly dressed, raises eyebrows after third stage in the Giro d'Italia: "No comment"

Every new day in the Giro d'Italia seems to bring an attack from Tadej Pogacar. The third stage was supposed to be one for the sprinters, yet it was Pogacar, in the pink jersey, who turned the finale into a spectacle. With 400 meters left to the finish line, the Slovenian and his rival Geraint Thomas of INEOS Grenadiers were caught.

"This guy is kicking my head in," Thomas told the press after the race. Pogacar was quick to downplay his 'attack'. "It wasn’t an attack, I was just following the wheel of the other riders. That created a good situation with me, Mikkel Honoré and Thomas. We tried to make it to the finish, but I actually didn’t really believe we could make it. I didn’t expect G to come along, so I really respect that."

"I tried, but it was too far to the finish," he summed up the finale. "It’s a kind of game, like playing with my friends back in the day. Attacking on the flat and on climbs suits me very well. It wasn’t too tough a day overall. The first few hours were very calm and nothing much happened. The last hour was very intense, and I could feel the nervousness in the peloton."

He also managed to snatch some bonus seconds. "I was at the front and there were three seconds up for grabs, but it wasn’t really my intention. But still, if you can grab three seconds... I saw INEOS move and it’s not bad to extend the lead a bit."

Pogacar on his aggressive riding style this Giro

The fact that Pogacar had attacked for the third consecutive day was also noted by the journalists at the press conference. Someone asked Pogacar if, after three days of attacking, he planned to try something in every stage of the Giro? The Slovenian raised his eyebrows, paused and then responded: "No comment."

Next question: what exactly did he want from the attack? "As I already said, it wasn’t really my attack. I was just following the other guys to stay in position. Then we pushed on, but that was a bit of stretching the legs," said a relaxed-looking Pogacar, who simply answered the question about what this aggressive way of riding would cost him. "I haven’t spent a euro yet. I’ve been on vacation for six days, but haven’t spent anything yet," he said with a wink.

He also skillfully responded to the comparison between the pink and yellow jerseys. "It depends on how the jerseys are made, which one weighs less. But I understand the question, I think there’s less stress in the Giro. So I would say it weighs less than the yellow jersey in the Tour de France. Where my purple pants came from? You’d have to ask the organization."