Riis predicts "real tension now" after fourth Tour stage: "It shows that even Pogacar has his limits"

First, the main man himself, who was quite pleased afterwards. "I can be happy with how the team and I performed and with how I felt. Fifty meters from the top the pace was just a bit too high for me, but then I saw it was also too high for Pogacar, who had to slow down a bit. I had my sh*t together and was able to close the gap," Vingegaard said after the finish.

His compatriot Bjarne Riis had a similar take. "It was a wild finish. It was great to see how they tested each other. They’re just good. They’re even on another level," said the former Tour winner to BT.

Riis was shocked for a short moment when it seemed Vingegaard was dropped. "I just had time to think ‘oh’ when he was dropped, but Jonas recovered. Both he and Pogacar were on their limit, and it was positive that he could close the gap. It showed that Pogacar also has his limits. Although it did seem a bit strange that Jonas stopped just before he could push on further."

Thijs Zonneveld said after Tuesday’s stage that we might now get "a real Tour." Those are words Riis can agree with. "It’s going to be really exciting from now on. Jonas isn’t far behind him, so anything can still happen," said the Dane, who has noticed a change in Vingegaard. "Jonas has definitely put in the work. His explosiveness has improved a bit."

Besides Vingegaard, there was another Dane who performed excellently on Tuesday, namely Mattias Skjelmose. The Lidl-Trek rider finished an impressive ninth in Rouen. "It was a good ride from him, he’s slowly climbing up the ranks. He has to keep it up for as long as possible. If he can’t stay in the general classification, he should go for stage wins. He isn’t a deadly threat to the others, but he can slip away at the right moments," Riis concluded.