"That took balls, hats off: Pogacar praises UAE helpers, but what were Almeida and Ayuso arguing about?

"This was more or less the plan, and I’m super happy with how it turned out. We executed it perfectly. It was a dream ride, and I was able to finish it solo. I really wanted to make a statement today. I know this area well, around Sestrières. It's great to race here. I was also aiming for the bonus seconds at the top of the Galibier. I just had to give it a shot today," the eager new leader of La Grande Boucle remarked when giving his initial reaction.

In the descent, Pogacar extended his lead after launching a late attack on the Galibier. "That was due to the headwind. It was manageable in the slipstream. The team did great work there. I didn't want to go too early. The last few hundred meters were perfect. The descent was wet, which was a bit scary and less enjoyable. But it’s fast, so that helps. It's great news that I have a lead now. My form is good, and we’ll keep pushing on in the coming days," he concluded.

Next up was a brief yet notably powerful press conference. During which a certain incident was also addressed. At one point, somewhere on the slopes of the Galibier, UAE Team Emirates’ helpers Joao Almeida and Juan Ayuso were seen in what seemed to be a heated argument. It appeared that Ayuso skipped a turn, much to Almeida’s annoyance. However, according to Pogacar, it wasn’t as bad as it seemed...

"I don’t think they had a quarrel or argument," the champion began. "When you’re racing flat out, you have to shout to communicate clearly with your teammates. Even if you want to say ‘I love you’, haha! There are so many enthusiastic fans along the road that it’s sometimes hard to communicate. Normal conversations on the bike are almost impossible. So, it might look like someone is angry, but in my opinion, that wasn’t the case. We just delivered a strong team performance, and I’m very happy about that."

On the second day, rival Jonas Vingegaard kept up smoothly on the San Luca, but on the Galibier, the Danish title defender couldn’t keep up the pace. A first uppercut for the Scandinavian? According to the man from Komenda, not yet. "I don’t know if we can conclude that this mountain stage is defining the standings for this Tour. It’s still far from certain and decided. Sure, you can gauge a rider’s level a bit. But with almost three weeks of racing left, so much can still happen and change."

The exceptionally strong UAE squad can, according to Pogacar, be a huge advantage for the rest of the Tour. No surprises there. On the Galibier, Vingegaard was somewhat isolated, the only Visma | Lease a Bike rider in the front of the race, while Pogi was well-supported by his helpers. "I think having a strong team definitely can and will help. Just look at this stage, especially in the valley section towards the Galibier. There was a strong headwind. We really pushed hard at the front of the elite group. That takes balls. So, hats off to all my teammates. They did an amazing job. We’ve shown that we’re one of the very best teams in the Tour. It was crazy. We need to keep going like this."