Tadej Pogacar, first ultra-dominating on the first part of the Tour de France and especially in the Pyrenees, sometimes seemed disinterested in the stage victory at the end of the 3 weeks. Weariness or fatigue had been put forward, but a runner gives another explanation in an interview published this Thursday, August 7.
Tadej Pogacar would have voluntarily let out several stage victories on the Tour de France? In any case, this is what Michael Storer, runner of the Tudor team, presents on the big loop in a podcast published this Thursday, August 7 and spotted by RMC Sport. “At least one day, I had information according to which Tadej had decided not to win this stage,” he said, notably referring to the July 14 stage, the arrival of which was argued at the top of the Tourmalet (won by the French Valentin Paret-Peintre).
“French supporters hooked him”
“I find it a little weird to roll your team all day long and decide, in the last climb, not to win the stage,” continues the Australian runner. According to him, there would be a very specific fact to these maneuvers of Pogacar and his team. “According to my information, the French supporters hooked it, then the management of the team decided that it was better that it does not win that day, just to keep the support of French supporters. I therefore assume that they also took this in consideration the last week, so as not to take everything,” considers the one who was appointed for the vote of the Supercombatif of the Tour de France.
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This is the whole paradox, Pogacar seems capable of winning everything all the time, but would almost be made to deprive yourself so as not to tire the rest of the peloton and the fans too much. Therefore, Storer is all the more surprised by the strategy implemented by the UAE team, very little inclined to let the escapes go. “If you do not want to win the stage, decide it in advance. Let the escape leave and do not burn your whole team. I may be too old game, but for me, it is much more logical. We could see that UAE was on your knees at the end of the race. Tadej too was tired. So, it is not a defensive race if we ride all day long,” he concluded, tired of the ultra domination of the ultra domination Emirati who lets her know when she deigns to leave crumbs to her competitors.
