Pogacar mourns Almeida's painful exit, but is impressed "one hell of a ride" from Van der Poel and Rickaert: "They are crazy"

The Dutchman from Alpecin-Deceuninck had launched into a massive two-man time trial with his teammate Jonas Rickaert. Van der Poel spent nearly the entire day in the breakaway but was caught less than a kilometer from the finish line. The yellow jersey wearer was full of admiration for what his colleagues pulled off.

"That was a really impressive performance by both of them today," Pogacar said about the Alpecin-Deceuninck duo. "Chapeau to them. They’re just not capable of taking it easy for one day. They’re crazy," laughed the world champion.

"It was one hell of a ride," the Slovenian continued. "We were all suffering in the peloton, so I can’t even imagine what it must have felt like at the front." The UAE star watched from behind as the Dutchman was caught just short. "I was the control tower in the last few kilometers. I observed everything from the back, and it was really close."

Still, it turned out to be a tough day for UAE, as the team lost Almeida. The Portuguese rider was meant to be Pogacar’s final support in the high mountains but couldn’t recover from his crash on Stage 7. "It’s a sad day for us. João had to abandon, and that’s completely understandable," Pogacar said.

The effects of the crash hadn’t improved, and the Portuguese climber had no choice but to call it quits. "He couldn’t bear the pain anymore. We’re all with him. He was fully committed to helping us, but it was just too much. I think he’ll recover well and come back even stronger," said the yellow jersey wearer.