I'm at my peak, says Tadej Pogacar after regaining Yellow Jersey
Like all UAE riders at the grand tours, Pogacar had a room to himself. He was woken earlier than he might have preferred as testers from the International Testing Agency were at the hotel before 8am. He and two team-mates were on their list.
'OK, I slept OK,' he said to his sports director.
'We push on,' Pogacar said in the way he might mention the weather. The plan remained the same. For some time he'd thought of the 13.5-kilometre climb to Hautacam. With its uneven gradients, it's a climb that he likes. What he didn't like was the previous time he rode Hautacam in the Tour. That was 2022 and the 18th stage. Pogacar trailed Jonas Vingegaard by 2mins 18secs that morning but still believed he could win.
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