Pogacar praises stunt duo Bardet-Van den Broek, Evenepoel handles first day well

Tadej Pogacar narrowly missed out on the bonus seconds in the opening stage of the Tour de France. The UAE Team Emirates leader was beaten in the sprint by Wout van Aert, finishing just behind dsm-firmenich PostNL's winning duo. "It was a very good first day," Pogacar commented, clearly satisfied.

Besides a strong sprint at the finish, his impressive team also tested the competition on the climbs along the way. "We tested the legs on the small climbs by setting a good pace. I felt good, even in the heat," which is often cited as one of Pogacar's rare weaknesses. "That's a big bonus for me," the Tour rider noted with satisfaction.

"At the end, I threw myself into the sprint," he continued. "I saw an opening. I almost beat two of the fastest guys in this peloton, Mads and Wout (Pedersen and Van Aert, ed.). Unfortunately, I just didn't have the luck. But also, congratulations to today's winners: Bardet and Van den Broek (Romain and Frank, ed.). They rode fantastically and deserved the win," the two-time Tour winner also voiced his respect for the impressive performance of the two.

Pogacar anticipates differences on the steep San Luca in Bologna

Despite this, Pogacar thought they might still catch the two dsm-firmenich PostNL riders. "With four kilometers to go, they still had 25 seconds. So I thought it would work out. That's why I also joined in the sprint. That way, I could grab some bonus seconds with a podium finish. Besides, I just enjoy bunch sprints from a reduced peloton. All in all, it was an exciting and good day."

On Sunday, the Tour continues with a stage to Bologna. In the finale, riders must tackle the San Luca climb twice. It's a short but very steep ascent that Pogacar knows all too well from the Giro dell'Emilia. "I expect the race tomorrow to be more open, with more fighting on the climb, and also larger gaps."

Evenpoel sprinted with an eye on second stage: "I wanted to get a feel for it"

Evenepoel also sprinted in the streets of Rimini, finishing eighth. "It was super hot," the Belgian recounted to Sporza, among others. "But I can handle that well. So I didn't really suffer from the heat. At the end, it became muggy and humid due to the cloud cover, but overall I got through the day well."

The Critérium du Dauphiné three weeks ago was Evenepoel's last race before the Tour. "It was tough because getting back into competition wasn't easy. But the feeling was definitely better than in the Dauphiné." Along the way, he was able to rely on strong teammates. "My team also helped me perfectly up to where it was needed. Gianni and Casper (Moscon, Pedersen, ed.) guided me all day until the climbing started. The course might have been a bit too tough today for Yves (Lampaert, ed.)."

"I was well-positioned, which saves energy. I participated in the sprint to secure a good position for our team car tomorrow. We got it. It's nice to finish in the top ten right off the bat," Evenepoel concluded his reflection on the stage with satisfaction. "Tomorrow will be more hectic," he says, looking ahead to the challenging hilly stage to Bologna. "That's why it's good that I already joined in the sprint today. I wanted to get a feel for it."