A perfect day for UAE Team Emirates in the first stage of the Tour de France, which started and finished in Bilbao. Adam Yates took the win and Tadej Pogacar finished third, taking four seconds off his rivals for bonuses.
After the race, the Slovenian was delighted with his team-mate's victory. It was a team victory, as if I had won or even better," he said in a statement reported by Marca: "It was a team victory, as if I had won or even better. They work for me all season long and for Adam to win is a great joy for me and for the team."
Before the start of the Grande Boucle, Pogacar said that he didn't know if he was going to find his wrist at one hundred per cent, but it seems that the sensations have been very good: "I felt better, the engine started, it was a hard day, the last climb was very difficult. But I saw that there was nothing better to do and that I had to attack. In the end Adam took his chance and it was perfect".
On UAE Pogacar's tactics on the day, he is clear: "It was perfect."