Tadej Pogacar enjoys "no stress at all" in transition Alpine stage

Tadej Pogacar and UAE Team Emirates had a rough start to the day with two Covid-19 cases being discovered within the team, and an abandon coming from it. However, the Slovenian was not put to the test on a day that could be dangerous.

"In all honesty, today’s stage was no stress at all. We had everything under control all the way, and I had good legs after the rest day. I’m happy I can go in yellow into the two hardest stages of this Tour de France," he said in the post-race interview. The start in Morzine saw a lot of attacks as riders looked to be in the winning breakaway, but besides a short attempt from Tom Pidcock, all other GC contenders stayed in the peloton and enjoyed the calm after the second rest day of the race.

Throughout the day no team tried to push the pace in the peloton, eventually finishing almost nine minutes down on the stage winner Magnus Cort Nielsen. Pogacar nevertheless sprinted to the line, to take no gains, and to narrowly keep the yellow jersey. It seemed as if the team was set to ride calmly to have the race lead and responsibility over to Lennard Kämna and BORA - hansgrohe, however for the second time in the race - the first being at Planche des Belles Filles - the German's heart was broken.

I admire Lennard Kämna. He improves every year and has become one of the best specialists of the world when it comes to breakaways and stage hunting," he said regarding the now second placed rider in the GC. "He almost took the yellow jersey from me today. I guess it would have been nice for him. On the last climb, many teams began pushing in order to get a good position, the peloton accelerated as a result, and I think that made the difference for me to keep the leadership on the GC," Pogacar described.

Asked about his team situation on the day, he answered: "It is not nice to lose teammates, and I was sad to see George [Bennett] heading home. I hope to survive the next few days. Our motivation is still quite strong and we will keep fighting for the victory."

Pogacar will head to a decisive day in the lead, having to tackle the Col du Galibier and the Col du Granon in what can be a decisive day for the race's overall classification.