Tadej Pogačar is already hatching an Alpine plan, but is leaving his own car at home for Alpe d'Huez this time

Tadej Pogačar isn’t a big fan of time trials. But, like every other aspect of cycling, he’s very good at them. The Slovenian rider from UAE Emirates-XRG had to concede defeat to Remco Evenepoel in Tuesday’s Tour de France stage, which he did with nothing but praise. He also spoke about his plans for the Alps.

It was, of course, no surprise that Evenepoel beat him in the time trial along Lake Geneva. “No, he’s been a rival from day one, of course. But yeah, my legs felt good today,” said Pogačar, who also went all out.

"But Remco is just... well... a legend in the race against the clock. He is, yes, I think one of the very best, without a doubt. And there’s no shame in finishing second behind Remco. Ultimately, I have to be satisfied with the result. Of course, I wanted to go for the win today. My legs were there, but he was just faster, and I’m looking forward to the coming days in the Alps.”

A Slovenian journalist eagerly picked up on this, prompting Pogačar by mentioning that he had just come down from Alpe d'Huez and had already seen many Slovenian fans there. “I think it’s going to be crazy,” Pogacar replied, before sharing a funny anecdote.

"I'm actually kind of glad Urška isn't coming up in my car like last time, back in... what was it, 2022? I still remember how dirty that car got because everyone was touching it and shaking it. So yeah, I’m actually glad I don’t have my own car up there right now, because I think it’s going to be a madhouse,” laughs the good-natured leader in the yellow jersey.

"Especially since they've scheduled two of the toughest stages back-to-back this year, both finishing at Alpe d'Huez. So I expect it to be insane. We already saw it on Le Markstein—I’d never seen such a huge crowd before. But I think Alpe d’Huez might even top that. So yeah, it’s going to be fantastic. I hope nothing goes wrong, but well… we’ll see. It’s going to be a great finish to this Tour,” said Pogačar.

A final stage in which the Slovenian also wants to show off his magic once again. “Look, I always ride to win. I’m not going to lie: I really wanted to give it my all today and try to win. I was incredibly motivated, my legs felt good, but well… at the end of the day, Remco is simply the best time trialist ever. And yes, it does give me some extra fire to go for another stage win in the coming days.”

The fact that success in sports is fleeting was once again evident in Florian Lipowitz’s withdrawal. “He’s a great guy, so I really feel bad to see him have to leave the Tour. Especially after crashing like that in today’s time trial—that’s just terrible. I hope he recovers quickly and I wish him all the best,” Pogacar concluded his press conference.