Tadej Pogacar: "I am very happy about my teammate's success"

The Tour of Slovenia got off to a fast start in Nova Gorica. Tadej Pogacar finished third while his teammate Rafal Majka won the stage after UAE Team Emirates raided the race at it's first opportunity.

Pogacar became impatient with 59 kilometers to go and attempted an aggressive push, accompanied later by teammate Rafal Majka. Majka launched an attack with 1.4 kilometers to go, and Pogacar played a key role in the Polish climber's first triumph since the Vuelta a España last year.

“It was a demanding stage, also due to the heat. The race exploded uphill under the strong pace of Bahrain-Victorious: at that point, Majka, Novak, and me were in the lead of the race. I worked hard with Rafal to make sure we made it to the line. In the last kilometers, we were all close to the limit, I tried a stretch and Novak finished, at which point Majka launched the winning attack." Pogacar explained in a post-race interview.

"I am very happy about my teammate's success and for the fact that tomorrow he will be able to wear the leaders jersey. For the first day in this Tour de Slovenia, we could not have asked for better, we will continue to fight in the next stages as well," he concluded.