What caused Tadej Pogacar's disappointing time trial? "It wasn't perfect"

Pogacar ended up in fourth place in the day's results, although the differences were considerable. The Slovenian rider was 49 seconds behind the stage winner Remco Evenepoel of Soudal Quick-Step, while Jonas Vingegaard and Matteo Jorgenson of Visma | Lease a Bike was also faster than Pogacar. In the case of Vingegaard, whose bike was checked by Pogacar at the finish, the difference was 28 seconds.

So there were no smiles at UAE Emirates-XRG and Pogacar himself. "I didn't ride the perfect time trial,’ said the lead rider, who also speculated on what might have gone wrong. ‘I think I may have misjudged the pace a little. I started the first section a bit too cautiously and should have pushed a little harder there."

"But it's okay – that's why we're here, to prepare for the Tour and improve," said Pogacar, who also knows where the focus lies in this edition of the Critérium du Dauphiné. "There are three important stages to come, and I'm looking forward to them. The team is working well, and with the opponents present, this is the best place to test ourselves."

Pogacar is currently eighth in the GC. Thanks to the bonus seconds he has already picked up, he is 38 seconds behind Evenepoel. Vingegaard is 22 seconds ahead of the reigning winner of the Tour de France.