Tadej Pogacar was viewed by some as a dark horse for the win on stage 8 at the 2023 Tour de France. He himself, admits he had harboured ambitions for the stage win. Ultimately though, Pogacar just didn't have the legs.
"The final has not been easy, especially as it was very hot all day. I wanted to sprint for the win, but I felt my legs were tired and I couldn’t be at the front," the leader of UAE Team Emirates admits in his post-stage interview. "Matteo Trentin did a great job to set me up, and I tried to sprint – but I didn’t have that sprint in my legs."
Pogacar eventually finished in 10th position on the stage, with Mads Pedersen victorious. Now though, attention turns to a potentially monumental finish atop the Puy-de-Dôme on stage 9 as the general classification battle recommences. "The Puy-de-Dôme something new for everybody. It will be a special day. The climb is super hard, and it will blow the race down to pieces again."
Finally, Pogacar had a word for Mark Cavendish, whose quest for a record-breaking 35th Tour de France stage win was brought to a premature end. "It’s a shame that Mark broke his collarbone and had to go home, especially after being so close to the stage win yesterday. Everybody wanted to see him go for one more win, especially as he has said this is his final year."
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