🤍 @TamauPogi after the stage 15 #TDF2022: “It was very hot out there today and quite hectic with a few crashes which you never want to see. We’re just glad to be home safe and tomorrow we will enjoy the rest day.” #UAETeamEmirates #WeAreUAE
"On every climb I have to try to attack" - Tadej Pogacar ready to hunt yellow jersey in final week of Tour de France
CyclingMonday, 18 July 2022 at 18:10
Tadej Pogacar is heading to the decisive week of the Tour de France in second place, 2:22 minutes behind Jonas Vingegaard. It will be a tough task to bring that time back, however the defending champion is eager for the mountains to arrive to try and deal some damage once again.
“I will have to seize every opportunity. On every climb I have to try to attack. The motto is quite simple: climb all the climbs as fast as possible and try to take a little time back every day from now on," the Slovenian told Wielerflits. "It will be difficult, but I believe it is possible to succeed in my mission. I will give everything and hopefully afterwards I will not regret what I did. If I had gone deeper and had more confidence at Alpe d'Huez, I could have gained time there already," he says confidently.
With both UAE Team Emirates and Jumbo-Visma down to six riders, it will be a rather more equal battle in the Pyrenees. However, there is less room to surprise with flat starts to all three stages. Pogacar and Vingegaard have both been involved in breakaway attempts throughout the last two stages, and neither seems to fear each other.
“Everyone is starting to get a little tired, both physically and mentally. If you're having a bad day, you're done... We had to ride with six riders for too long and that will not be easy for Jumbo-Visma now. That makes the race more difficult for them," he added. The time he has to take back was mostly lost on the Col du Granon where Pogacar cracked after a flurry of attacks from Jumbo-Visma.
Into the last three mountainous stages, he will try and take back time: "... I will do everything I can to win back from Vingegaard half a minute to two minutes before the time trial. The hole should be as small as possible on that day. If you put everything on the last time trial, it won't work."
The race dynamics will be complicated to manage for Jumbo-Visma who lost two important support riders on the final day of the final week. “Jumbo-Visma will race defensively next week. That makes sense, because I have to attack them. In the Pyrenees we still have very difficult rides ahead of us. I therefore also expect hand-to-hand combat. Everyone will give everything, I expect a race from kilometer zero every day," he expects.
“Obviously I will give 100% of myself. Everything in my power I will try in the race to win back yellow. I will attack and hopefully gain time. If I end up finishing second or third in Paris, it's not the end of the world," he points out.
"I've already entered Paris twice in yellow. A second place is still very good, automatically including the white jersey of the youth classification. But until then, I'm thinking yellow. I do not give up," the Slovenian concluded. Tomorrow's stage into Foix will be another opportunity to make the difference.
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UltimateOpportunist23-12-2024 - If you look at the major races they’ve both been in, van der Poel had the early edge as lately Pogacar has had the advantage. It’s all on procyclingstats.RidesHills23-12-2024
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- I wonder what would happen if Pogacar attacked on the Cipressa instead of the Poggio in San Remo? Would MvdPoel still be able to follow?Ride197423-12-2024