Pogacar puts ego aside in the Dauphiné: "Remco was a good example last year"

Pogacar finished 49 seconds behind Remco Evenepoel in Saint-Peray and lost 28 seconds to Jonas Vingegaard, but his mood was good before heading into the Alps with his rivals. "The weather is beautiful for racing, and we have a nice, tough stage ahead of us. It's nothing crazy, but we'll surely see some action for the GC."

"I have a lot to make up for, so maybe I can start doing that today," said the Slovenian. "Let's go with the flow and enjoy the last weekend. Visma | Lease a Bike also has Matteo Jorgenson in a good position so that they can play around with that. However, they also have to make up time on Remco."

Pogacar told the organization that he had reflected on his time trial. "You always look for areas to improve, but at the same time, you are focused on winning the race. Putting your ego aside is also important because there's no need to kill yourself in this Dauphiné."

“Remco was a good example last year," Pogacar explains. "He won the time trial, but ultimately, he was not at the top of the GC. But in the Tour, he was flying, so in that way, you can put your pride and ego aside for now and focus on the Tour de France."

"However, I'm in pretty good shape," he continues. "I feel fine, and there's not much room for improvement, but there are still some gains here and there. In terms of time trials. In a three-week race, however, you really need to be in top shape."

Evenepoel also appeared in front of the cameras. The Belgian crashed hard in the final on Thursday but is not too bothered by it. "It's just a few scratches, nothing serious. It will be an interesting day, with a tough, explosive final. Although the gaps probably won't be as big as on Saturday."

"It's good for us to see how other teams are approaching it," said the lead rider of Soudal Quick-Step. "We'll mainly try to control the start and then see how the final unfolds."

Jonas Vingegaard spoke to TV2. "I still think that this stage suits Pogacar better than me. We'll have to wait and see what they do," said the Dane. "I definitely think Remco can be there, too. He has proven to ride very fast, so it will be exciting."