Pogacar won stage 4, but Bruyneel claims that’s thanks to one man: “He is a real beast; by far the champion of the day”

“It was a dominant performance by Pogacar,” Wiggins began his analysis. “His hundredth win, and in the rainbow jersey… He made the race today. When he attacked, only Vingegaard could follow. And then to still sprint and beat Van der Poel uphill… That really shows his class.”

“He’s getting closer and closer to Eddy Merckx,” stated the former Tour winner. Bruyneel, in turn, finds the world champion’s way of racing impressive. “I’m really amazed at how easily he sits in the peloton. He just looks so relaxed.”

While Bjarne Riis predicted “real tension” after Tuesday, and Thijs Zonneveld saw a strong chance for “a real Tour,” Wiggins also seems certain about how the Tour will unfold. “It’s going to be a two-man battle. Today confirmed that. Pogacar is the favorite for this Tour now, but Jonas is close behind.” Bruyneel agreed. “The way Vingegaard managed to come back… That says a lot about his form.”

Still, both men were also quite impressed by the domestiques of Pogacar and Vingegaard. While UAE initially led the peloton for a long time, Visma | Lease a Bike eventually took over. The Belgian domestiques especially impressed Wiggins. “Tim Wellens was very good today. Victor (Campenaerts, ed.) was also fantastic today. He is truly a beast, and he is really special.”

Vocsnor accelerated to the front in the technical finale and then pulled on the front for kilometers. Bruyneel was likewise impressed by his compatriot. “Victor was really amazing. His lead-out… You have a plan with the team, but when you can execute it like that. He did it all by himself.”

But most of the admiration goes to João Almeida. The UAE Portuguese rider did immense brutal work for his leader and set him up perfectly for his attack. “He is on paper the best GC rider in the world this year, right?” Wiggins wondered aloud. “He did really fantastic. That’s the thing with UAE and Visma: Almeida will be Pogacar’s best support, but how good was Matteo Jorgenson too? I’m really impressed by how he rides and he seems so calm,” praised the Brit, referring to the American from Visma | Lease a Bike.

In the finale, Almeida seemed to disappear for a moment, but according to Bruyneel, that was because the Portuguese rider was held up behind the crash. “He was gone for a bit because he seemed to be delayed by that crash. The effort it takes to come back… He is by far the champion of this stage. Pogacar won, but that was thanks to Almeida,” concluded the Belgian.