Sports director Grischa Niermann: “Pogačar 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 Pogačar, 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.”
Tomorrow, another tough mountain stage awaits the yellow-and-black formation, with a summit finish at Valmeinier 1800. Vingegaard now trails Pogačar by 43 seconds in the general classification. “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.