UAE teammates once again surprised by Pogacar: "I don't think Tadej took his own advice, did he?"

On Sunday, Tadej Pogacar didn't even really need his teammates in order to deliver a crushing blow on the Plateau de Beille. The Slovenian leader of UAE-Team Emirates gained more than a minute on competitor Jonas Vingegaard, as his key lieutenants Adam Yates and Joao Almeida also witnessed.

Yates, who himself finished sixth in the stage, took Eurosport back to the morning before the ride. "In the bus, we talked with Tadej about taking a more defensive approach and leaving it to the other teams, because in the last few mountain stages we were constantly the team taking the initiative. But Tadej, of course, didn't take his own advice, did he?" the Brit laughed out loud.

The climber was constantly in the wheel of Vingegaard, who had his team Visma | Lease a Bike set a hard pace for the stage. "When I got dropped, Matteo Jorgenson was still riding hard. Jonas must have felt good and he looked fine too. It's a tough climb. I live nearby, so I know that all too well. The lead we have is great, we can be happy about that going into the third week."

Almeida: "Hats off to Visma | Lease a Bike"

Almeida was dropped early on the climb but still finished impressively in fifth place. He was also content after the stage. "It was a beautiful stage. I didn't feel so good, but it ended up being a real elimination race. I'm looking forward to the rest day. The Tour isn't over yet, as we still have to go to Nice. Tadej seems to be the strongest."

The Portuguese rider also expressed his respect for the competition. "Visma had to try, so hats off to them. They gave it their all... So that's impressive for them. We have confidence going into the third week. Everyone on our team is in good shape and it's very nice to be a part of that," concluded Almeida, who himself is still in fourth place in the GC.