"I am actually glad that I was able to keep the difference so small" - Jonas Vingegaard reflects on Grand Colombier duel with Tadej Pogacar

The Tour de France has been on fire since day one and Jonas Vingegaard continues to be in the lead. It continues to shorten as he shed time to Tadej Pogacar once again, but he and Jumbo-Visma are satisfied with the outcome of the day in the Grand Colombier.

"I'm not frustrated or disappointed at all. I think a stage like this doesn't suit me well. I am actually glad that I was able to keep the difference so small," Vingegaard said in a post-race interview, perhaps in a bit of a psychological move. With the two now only apart by nine seconds every detail matters, today Pogacar took eight seconds - four on the road and four in bonus seconds - with a 500-meter acceleration towards the top of the climb.

This was after UAE Team Emirates worked throughout the whole day to try and control the breakaway and ride into a win. In the end Pogacar's move came almost in sight of the line, the Dane lost touch with a few hundred meters to go but did not lose significant time, he remains in the yellow jersey into a very hard weekend in the Alps where more gaps are expected among the GC favourites.

“I think longer stages with more mountains suit me better. So I look forward to the next days," Vingegaard concluded. Whilst the rest of the GC contenders steer further away in the overall classification, over the coming days his mission will be to follow Tadej Pogacar's wheel at all times.