"It was one of the hardest finishes I’ve ever done" - Tadej Pogacar remembers riding up Puy Mary on his way to victory at 2020 Tour de France

Tadej Pogacar didn't encounter any issues during Tuesday's stage 10 of the Tour de France. The Slovenian could even afford to save his UAE Team Emirates teammates' strengths on a day where the threat of echelons was premature and so it turned out to be a pretty peaceful day for most of the bunch.

"It is never easy to get on the bike and race after the rest day," Pogacar reminds in a press communication. "Luckily it was an easy stage, especially in the first part. We didn’t ride the whole time at the front because we found it a bit unnecessary. It’s good to be at the front when things are tricky, but otherwise you can get in stressful situations that can result in crashes for no reason."

"We all knew there was a point on which there could be crosswinds, and therefore all teams tried to hit the front at the same time. Then the wind was not strong enough, so there weren't any splits. It’s better this way. Echelons are fun to watch on TV, yet they are the worst if you are caught on the wrong side of them."

However tomorrow's stage to be different with last 50 kilometers up and down in the Central Massif. Especially the Puy Mary Pas de Peyrol (5.3 km a 7.8%) with final kilometer at nearly 15% is a strong memory for Pogacar. The phenomenon lost in a sprint to his compatriot Primoz Roglic on the slopes of this climb in 2020, before he went on to win the whole race a week later.

"Today there was nothing to do GC-wise, yet tomorrow’s stage comes with a question mark. It is long and hard. I haven’t done any recon of the course, yet I remember the Pas de Peyrol from a 2020 stage on which I fought with Primoz to the line and it was one of the hardest finishes I’ve ever done."