"It's a pity that Pogačar and Vingegaard are so strong" - Tobias Johannessen best of the rest in Tour de France's epic Cauterets stage

Tobias Johannessen has had a difficult start to the season with injuries but he's coming into his own. He had the chance to take a win yesterday in Cauterets as he was the strongest from the breakaway, but found himself behind the battle between Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar.

"I felt very good and I'm happy to have achieved this result. It's a pity that Pogačar and Vingegaard are so strong. But I really can't complain about having only those two names ahead in the order of arrival. For me, it's fantastic," Johannessen said in a post-race interview. “When we were up front, I really hoped that the two of them would not come back. But Wout van Aert is very strong and these are riders of a different level."

The Norwegian had been dropped from the GC fight and had begun hunting stages, the sixth day being a juicy opportunity. He joined the front group together with Jonas Gregaard, gathered important points which have put him in the fight for the KOM classification, and then had the stage win in mind. However Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar joined the remnants of the breakaway in the descent of the Tourmalet, and the Norwegian could only ride to third on the day, arriving before all other group companions except the duo.

"We are trying to get closer little by little: I had good legs here and it was nice to be part of the race and to be in front in a stage of the Tour de France," he says, as he chases Uno-X Pro Cycling Team's first ever Tour de France win. "If they hadn't come to get us this time, I think I could have won the stage. I think I'll try again and we'll see what happens . We have a very strong team."