Tadej Pogačar arrived back to his team bus with a relaxed swagger after stage 10 of the Tour de France. “Hey guys,” he shouted across to the waiting reporters. The world champion had lost his yellow jersey, but, in the race’s first mountains test, he had survived an assault from Visma-Lease a Bike. Any warning of alarm bells had been averted.
The attacks in the Massif Central began inside 25km to go. After Visma’s Sepp Kuss set the pace, his team-mate Matteo Jorgenson – who promised a “festival of watts” pre-stage – was the first to lash out of the saddle. Pogačar, for a moment, found himself on the back foot. But everything was as expected.
“The goal was for Visma not to attack us, or [for us] to repel their attacks,” the UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider said. “We did a great job.”
As Visma’s Simon Yates prevailed from the breakaway, his team-mates continued to swarm Pogačar behind. Three years and a day had passed since the Slovenian had crumbled to Visma on the Col du Granon, losing almost three minutes to Jonas Vingegaard, and his yellow jersey. Isolated again this time, he was determined to avoid a repeat.
"They were a bit annoying with all the attacks, so I decided to make a better attack,” Pogačar smiled. That moment came before the final kilometre, a trademark out-of-the-saddle thrash, but it failed to shake Vingegaard.
Fans in Le Mont-Dore then waited for Pogačar to take another swing. Perhaps Vingegaard would strike a blow? Neither materialised. Instead, the pair spun together at ease, in tow behind breakaway straggler Lenny Martinez, and grasped hands beyond the finish line. The Tour's first mountains show ended in a stalemate.
Third on the day, EF Education-Easypost’s Ben Healy hauled back an almost four-minute deficit to take over the honours of leading the race. Pogačar, topping none of the four classifications, was spared the podium protocol – a rare but welcome event for the Slovenian.
“Now it's a day off [Tuesday is a rest day - ed] and it's good that I don't have the yellow jersey,” he said. “Honestly, I'm most happy not to be talking to journalists.”
The world champion now sits second in the general classification, a minute ahead of Remco Evenepoel, and 1:17 ahead of Vingegaard. Ceding the yellow jersey, his UAE Team Emirates-XRG manager Mauro Gianetti said, was no call for concern: “We are not obligated to keep the jersey,” Gianetti said.
“We need to look at the big picture. Of course, if it’s possible to keep it, it’s always good. In any case, the responsibility is on our shoulders and it’s respect for the jersey. At the same time, we need to think about the powers that we have. We have a long time [left] in the Tour.”
What might be a worry, however, is the health of Pogačar’s lieutenants. Having lost João Almeida to the injuries of a crash, Pavel Sivakov was dropped on stage 10, seemingly due to illness. “It was a good day,” Gianetti stressed. “We just had Sivakov today who was not very good, but we expect to have him back soon.”
The mountains now loom for the peloton in France. After 10 days without a major climb, the next 11 stages will bring five hors catégorie summit finishes. Each one brings an opportunity for Pogačar to take back his yellow jersey. They're also chances for Visma to attack, and attack they will, as stage 10 proved.
“The Tour is long, but so far we are leading,” said Gianetti. “It’s always better to be in front than to be obliged to chase.”
