Tadej Pogačar is a man tired of doing press conferences. Not just at this Tour de France, but at the three he's previously won, or the other two where he won stages and spent time in yellow.
This is the life of a man who leads the Tour de France by over four minutes going into the second rest day, the man who has already won four stages at this year's race.
Sunday's post-stage press conference was different, however, as he joined his UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammate Tim Wellens in front of the press pack, and appeared to relax a bit. He's used to these; Wellens, meanwhile, has never been in this position at the Tour, but was now, due to his victory on stage 15.
Asked what his relationship with Pogačar was like, while his teammate sat there, trying not to laugh, Wellens said: "I think Tadej is a nice person and everybody is good friends with Tadej. All the teammates here have a really good relationship."
Pogačar's lead looks reasonably impregnable as the race ends its second week; there are three mountain-top finishes to come, but given his form, it seems unlikely that the tide will turn.
His rivals, or those hoping for a competitive race, have been left clutching at straws, hoping that something will happen that puts cracks in his armour. This includes Pogačar becoming ill, something that has been hinted at in recent days, but the 26-year-old dispelled this on Sunday.
"I'm becoming less sick now, so thanks for taking care of me," he joked. "Half of the bunch has sore throats and coughing, blowing their noses. I think I'm more at the end of it.
"We eat so much ice and put ice everywhere and I don't think it's good for the throat. all the AC, all the extra work on the podium and after, it resulted in a bit of a runny nose and a bit of coughing. It's nothing, I'm not really sick, it's just a pain in the ass."
Those looking to unseat him, therefore, will have to try and ride him out of yellow, an unenviable task. The Tour is the Tour, but there are just six stages left, and Pogačar has not had an off-day yet. Mont Ventoux, the Col de la Loze, these are places where he will want to win, and it seems he will be ready for the final week.
