Sorry Arensman and co, but Pogacar isn't giving anything away (despite UAE's fears): "The team pays you to win"
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Follow us on GoogleTadej Pogacar is, after thirteen days of Tour de France, a good four minutes ahead of Jonas Vingegaard, so we could almost say that the Slovenian from UAE Team Emirates-XRG can sit back and relax. But that would be wrong. Pogacar himself and his team managers stated after the fourth stage win of this Tour that the focus will remain the same, with the possibility of chasing further stage wins. Bad news for breakaway riders, who are hoping for opportunities on Saturday in the Pyrenees and in week three in the Alps.
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On days 6 and 10 of this Tour, two breakaway riders won: Ben Healy and Simon Yates. Thymen Arensman hoped for more opportunities after the rest day in the climbing time trial, according to the NOS. “I had to take it easy and prepare for tomorrow (Saturday, ed.). I still hope to win here, and there’s nothing you can do against Tadej in a time trial like this, so it’s better to take it easy. There are still a few nice stages to go, and hopefully I can get into the breakaway like I did on Wednesday and get a little more than two minutes.”
It will all depend on Pogacar and UAE. If the world champion wants to win, he will basically just do it. His team management doesn't want to take it easy either. “Four stage wins and four minutes ahead in the GC, that's incredible,” Joxean Matxin cheered on Cyclism'Actu. “We could never have imagined this, but there is much more to come. We have to keep the yellow jersey.“ Mauro Gianetti said,” We shouldn't underestimate Vingegaard, we expect him to come back."
Read more below the photo.
UAE wants to keep Pogacar calm, but does he want that himself?
It would mean that Visma | Lease a Bike would still have to go for it, and that UAE would also have to continue to show themselves. “What am I afraid of? Maybe his eagerness to do too much,” Gianetti also said, perhaps referring to a more conservative racing style? It will be challenging to keep him in check. “He has learned from his mistakes over the years, but the fear remains that he wants too much and will have to pay the price. It's up to us to keep him calm.”
The question is whether Pogacar will obey. At the press conference after his fourth stage win, HLN quoted him as saying: "This is the Tour. You can't just give away a stage win or ride with the handbrake on, can you? The team pays you to win, not to give away victories. If I decided to do that, my team wouldn't be happy. If there's a chance to win the stage, we're going for it."
Bad news for Arensman and company. Pogacar won six stages in last year's Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France and rarely gives anything away. He doesn't care that this doesn't make him any friends in the peloton. “I don't want to make enemies either. But anyway, after my career, I won't be talking to 99 percent of this peloton anymore, and I'll focus on my close friends and family.”
Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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