Storer reveals Pogacar held back behind Arensman in Tour: "Wanted to keep the French on his side"

Racing in the Tadej era is not only a lot tougher for his closest rivals. The breakaway riders also have increasingly little hope of a good outcome. Storer found himself in the long breakaway several times, but in the high mountains, he was unable to stay ahead. “Thymen Arensman has proven that you can beat him if you have a super good day and a small head start,” he remains positive in the Domestique Hotseat podcast.

“But usually there is acceptance, because you know you're not going to win,” said the Australian from Tudor. He saw Arensman win a second stage on top of La Plagne, and the Dutchman didn't even do that from a long breakaway. “Only he could beat Tadej that day. But it's strange, because I have insider information that there was at least one day when Tadej didn't want to win the stage.”

According to Storer, that was stage 14 to Superbagnères, Arensman's first victory. The Tudor climber doesn't think that what happened was very fair. “I find it strange that your team rides flat out all day, and then you decide not to go for the win on the final climb. The other times he might have had the legs, but in that one stage, he had told his teammates that he didn't want to go for it. If you decide not to win, do it from the start of the stage and let the breakaway riders go. Don't burn your team," said the attacking rider.

Why did Pogacar ultimately choose that day not to go for the win? Resentment from the crowd, it seems. “There were boos from the French fans. The team then decided it was better that he didn't win, to keep the French on their side. They carried that through to the last week: they didn't want to take everything.” Last year, there was already criticism of the Slovenian superstar.

On top of that, the life of an attacking rider has not become any easier. The Tour de France had a blistering average speed, partly thanks to the fast first hours when the breakaway riders had to do their utmost to get away. “In the Tour, it was really about forcing the breakaway. It wasn't as if the peloton let you go; they had no choice. That made the racing extremely tough,” concludes Storer, who sees the classic breakaways resurfacing in the Vuelta a España “with gaps of 10 minutes.”