"When someone is stronger, all you can do is accept it" - Visma shift focus to upcoming days after heavy blow from Pogacar

If anyone thought that Tadej Pogacar showed cracks in his armor in the time trial two days earlier, the Slovenian had a clear response to doubters on Friday. Not even Jonas Vingegaard came close to the world champion as the Visma | Lease a Bike rider lost a full minute on the same climb where he dealt Pogacar a heavy blow in 2023.

"Pogacar was the strongest today. In the end, the time gaps at the finish were significant. Of course, we had hoped Jonas could stay closer on the final climb. This was a stage that really suited Pogacar, and it was clear from the start that Team UAE had a plan today. When someone is stronger, all you can do is accept it and congratulate him on the victory," said Sports director Grischa Niermann in a press release.

Tomorrow, the riders will take on the queen stage of this year's Criterium du Dauphiné with three special category climbs - Col de la Madeleine, Col de la Froix de Fer and Valmeinier 1800. With nearly 5000 meters of climbing to do, it is a perfect opportunity to completely shake up the overall stadings.

"We’ll give it another try tomorrow. It won’t be easy, but I’m happy with our way of racing and the fighting spirit of the team. We’ll take that into the next stage," Niermann concludes.

At the moment Vingegaard trails Pogacar by 43 seconds in the general classification. Further 11 seconds down is Florian Lipowitz and second leader of Visma, Matteo Jorgenson sits in a fifth place, a minute behind Vingegaard.