Tadej Pogacar thoroughly enjoyed his unplanned stage win: “It was an ideal Tour”

“I really enjoyed today. Even though things didn’t go the way I expected, I couldn’t be happier. In fact, I was quite surprised by the burst of competition on the final climb. It’s one of my favorite climbs in this area. Our boys did really well. Soler was on the plane, which was good for us. Another stage win. Now another day. I’ll enjoy it again tomorrow.”

This time it wasn’t the UAE Team Emirates rider who set the pace, but the unit of Remco Evenepoel. “I think Soudal set the pace in a quick trot and wanted to take second place. That was exactly what I wanted.” In the end it was a great duel between the yellow jersey rider and Jonas Vengergaard for the stage win. “It was special. He’s had some tough days. But today he proved again that he’s a very good rider, a real fighter who is not easily beaten. He rode really well and was very strong.”

Pogacar was on cloud nine after his fifth stage win. “This is an ideal Tour. If you had told me this beforehand, I would never have believed it. It’s really crazy. I wish I could celebrate with my teammates tonight. Five stage wins is crazy, one would have been enough. But it is what it is.”

What else does he plan to do tomorrow? “I don’t know yet if I will try to win tomorrow. We’ll see if I have the legs. I hope I can enjoy the process tomorrow as well.”

Jonas Vingegaard: “Yesterday I felt completely empty, today I feel much better”

The Dane seemed to have healthy legs back today after a couple of tough days. “Today was a tough and hot day. I felt a lot better than yesterday when I had the worst pair of legs ever. I was completely empty. I’m happy with the way I rode today. I was awful yesterday. It’s nice to be back like this. I felt great when Remco Evenepoel accelerated and decided to counterattack when he was about to attack again. So what did I do.”

Wengergaard said he was particularly happy about his lead over our compatriot. “I rode mainly to gain some distance from him, not necessarily for a stage win.” But he remained cautious about his conclusions. “You never know. Evenpool is the best time trialist in the world. Three minutes seems a long time, but you never know what can happen. I’m certainly happy that I can win a minute now. Tomorrow I’ll do everything I can to keep second place.”

In a battle between Pogacar and himself, the Slovenian mainly rode on the Dane’s wheel. A strategy he understood. “Everyone has their own tactics and I don’t judge anyone on that. He influenced me a little more and if I was in his position I would probably do the same thing. He doesn’t have to drive, that’s how it is.”