"I feel very sorry for him" - Tadej Pogacar on Evenepoel's withdrawal and battle with Vingegaard at Superbagnères

Tadej Pogacar has ticked off another day from the list and maintained the yellow jersey through the final day of the Tour de France in the Pyrenees. Stage 14 was one of attrition and one where the Slovenian raced more defensively, in the backdrop of a more aggressive Jonas Vingegaard.

“Hats off to Arensman, that was an incredible performance and well deserved," Pogacar said in a post-race interview. "I've known him since the Tour de l'Avenir, where we rode together at the front in the final mountain stage. I knew then that he was a super rider, and he has shown that again today. I'm happy for him. And I'm happy to be in yellow".

Pogacar commented on a day with almost 5000 meters of climbing and bad weather, specially at the top of the Col du Tourmalet and it's descent: “It was so foggy there, you could hardly see anything. It was cold, wet, and rainy, which made it even harder. The pace was very fast from the start, but it was a tough day. And we got through it well".

UAE paced all day, but didn't attack the final climb, instead pacing up it, and then reacting to Jonas Vingegaard's attack. "I expected Jonas to try earlier on the climb. He went with four kilometers to go. I reacted well, but I didn't have the strength to counterattack and give it my all. So I decided to control the stage until 250 meters and sprint for second place.”

Pogacar looked to be riding within his limits, but it's uncertain if that was a bluff or not. His words say otherwise, but questions will remain afloat. “There are still a lot of mountains to come, and I think Jonas was already better in this stage. He won't give up and will attack in the Alps, or even on Mont Ventoux. I expect another tough battle.”

He also commented on Remco Evenepoel, third place at the start of the day, who abandoned during the ascent to the Tourmalet. “We talked yesterday about how you go from day to day, with journalists always talking about the next victory. I told Remco that you have to live in the moment, because you don't know when your last day on the bike will be, in the Tour or your career. I feel very sorry for him".

“I don't know why he withdrew, but that's sport. You can get up and feel bad. Then you can't force yourself to continue. I wish Remco all the best and hope he recovers quickly," Pogacar concluded.