"What I did today was a calculated risk" - Felix Gall emerges from the fog on Superbagneres as the 'best of the rest'

Felix Gall might have been the happiest GC rider to cross the line in Superbagneres. The leader of Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale didn't hesitate to attack the best riders in the world, and was rewarded with a top-5 result on the day and improvement in the general classification.

"I was at the front at the foot of Tourmalet when the attacks started and the breakaway was forming," began the Austrian about his stage. "I thought for a moment about trying to go in the breakaway too, but I think it was a good decision to stay in the peloton."

When the group of favourites arrived to the foot of final climb, Gall smelled an opportunity as the pace of UAE wasn't hard enough to cause any damage. The 27-year-old rode away from the group and even though Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard were able to ride past, Gall arrived 4th on the day, enough to move up to 8th overall.

"It was always a bit risky, but what I did today on the last climb was a calculated risk," he said about his attack. "I felt really good, and it seemed like UAE wasn't riding flat out like usual. So I thought maybe I could take some time off some of the GC riders around me."

"I think it was definitely my best day on this Tour so far, and I'm really happy to feel like this at the end of the second week," Gall beamed afterwards.

Compared to the hectic first week, the Austrian feels much more comfortable in high mountains and it shows: "I would say that things have calmed down quite a bit. There's a lot of fatigue in the peloton, and you can feel that it's not as crazy as in the first days. Maybe I'm also a little more comfortable now. And for sure there's a hierarchy that's established in the peloton, that helps a lot, it's less chaotic," he concluded.