"He told me he would take it easy"; Pogacar even surprises his teammates in Nice

Tadej Pogacar won the Tour de France for the third time in his career on Sunday, which obviously caused great satisfaction throughout the UAE-Team Emirates camp. Eurosport caught up with several key players on camera after the time trial in Nice.

"He told me he would take it easy, so I can't imagine what it would be like if he really went all out," laughed lieutenant Joao Almeida, who himself finished fourth in the general classification. "We should definitely congratulate ourselves, because I think we did well. It feels very special to be a part of this. It's been a super day."

"It's been quite an experience," added lead domestique Adam Yates. "Having the strongest man in the race by our side certainly makes things a bit easier. But even if that weren’t the case, we would have enjoyed ourselves. It’s been a beautiful few weeks," said the Brit, who finished third in the general classification last year.

Tim Wellens also participated extensively in the preparation. "It's been three crazy weeks. There’s always pressure, everywhere: whether you’re at the start, finish, or in your hotel. To finish it off like this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me. Tadej is the best, but he always seems so relaxed. I don’t even know if he realizes how crazy it all is, but we certainly do."

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UAE-Team Emirates management extremely proud of Pogacar's development

Sporting director Joxean 'Matxin' Fernandez was speechless. "I don’t know what to say, because the emotions are really hitting me. I’m proud of the whole team and the staff around them. We came here to win, and we were really determined. With six stage victories in the Giro and Tour, we've obviously done well and it was a risk, but we pulled it off beautifully."

Finally, team boss Mauro Gianetti was also delighted after securing the Tour victory. "This is the real Tadej. As a young boy, he immediately won three stages and a podium in the Tour, and the next year he came back completely different to win the Tour. He was young, a bit heavier... but with the level of competition we had to make choices, which this time meant skipping the classics."

"That allowed us to train focused and fully concentrate on the longer climbs. We don’t win the Tour of Flanders with this, but we are also satisfied with the Giro and Tour," Gianetti stated. He indicated that the Vuelta is not on the agenda. "He is a champion for us, but also for the entire sport. We need to be careful with him as he is still young. There’s always stress around such a phenomenon, so we don't want him to burn out."

"It’s therefore impossible to continue this streak to the Vuelta; it would not be a good choice," Gianetti said.