Tadej Pogacar is one of the best bike handlers in the peloton and rarely a rider that goes down. However on the second stage of the Tour de France he could not avoid the mass crashes that have swept through the peloton in it's closing stages.
"I couldn't avoid it in the end. I hit the barrier. I'm ok. I stayed on the bike. I just hit the barrier with my fist, with my knuckles," he told the media at the end of the day. Having been inside the final three kilometers he did not loose time, but he did loose some skin on his knuckles. Alongside the likes of Daniel Martínez, Ben O'Connor and Chris Froome he was one of the affected riders, but has reported good sensations.
"The last 3km is a huge speed and especially today with the headwind, the guys who pull on the front and cannot pull anymore come with much lower speed back through the bunch. It's really risky and hard to avoid, and today we couldn't avoid one guy and we were on the ground," he said. "It's still a little sore but I got home safely," he added.
Pogacar started the third stage in third place, still ahead of all his GC rivals and with the white jersey on his body.
💬 @TamauPogi after the stage 2 of #TDF2022 : “I’m happy with how the stage went for me. Now I just hope that everyone who crashed is okay. It was not crazy racing, but there was definitely a lot of tension and lots of people on the roadside.” #UAETeamEmirates #WeAreUAE
