"I wanted to sprint for the win, but I felt my legs were tired" - Tadej Pogacar unable to take more bonus seconds on stage 8 at the Tour de France
Cycling
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."
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- Well I just watched this and I thought it was great! If you’re a Pogi fan, like me, you’ll enjoy it. Even if you’re not necessarily a Pogi fan I still recommend it. There’s plenty of new stuff I didn’t know about and I’m a Pogi-maniac! Nice interviews with Pogi & Matteo Trentin too.Lozza14-11-2026
- Well I just watched this and I thought it was great! If you’re a Pogi fan, like me, you’ll enjoy it. Even if you’re not necessarily a Pogi fan I still recommend it. There’s plenty of new stuff I didn’t know about and I’m a Pogi-maniac! Nice interviews with Pogi & Matteo Trentin too. So Zonnewotsit can stick it!Lozza14-11-2026
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10th place for @TamauPogi in Limoges. #TDF2023 #WeAreUAE
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