Tour de France chief Tadej Pogačar got here by one other stage he may label as “boring” on Saturday, ending safely within the peloton in Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises after one other quiet day for many of the Tour’s riders.
As has been the case with a number of of the sprinter-friendly phases to this point, stage 8 introduced little motion earlier than the ultimate, with polka dot jersey holder Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility) the one rider within the break for the lion’s share of the day.
Pogačar, who stated on Friday that “this week is a bit bit like there’s nothing to look ahead to”, will little question be relishing the prospect of one other GC showdown on the gravel roads round Troyes on stage 9, even when, as he stated, the race may effectively be misplaced there.
“You have to be much more sharp, much more centered than right this moment,” Pogačar stated after the conclusion of stage 8. “And you want to watch out in every gravel sector, every entrance, every exit. And there could also be wind and rain.
“There’s going to be numerous issues that may trigger you crash or get caught behind. So, it is not going to be decisive, however you possibly can lose the Tour tomorrow.
“You may be the very best on the gravel, however if in case you have a puncture on the fallacious second, you possibly can lose time, for certain. Tomorrow’s going to be loads about having good group management and focus to the end line.”
Some riders and group workers, most notably Soudal-QuickStep boss Patrick Lefevere, have voiced their opposition to the inclusion of gravel phases in Grand Excursions, saying that operating stage races over roads like meaning introducing an excessive amount of of a component of luck.
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Nevertheless, Pogačar shrugged off such questions, solely saying that he was right here to experience it and that “numerous different issues can occur”, like many different phases of the Tour.
“There are all the time these questions – ‘Is that this stage proper in or not within the Tour?’ I am not the one to ask, I have to race it, whether or not it is there or not. It is simply one other impediment within the Tour de France. Like each different stage, numerous different issues can occur. You must be prepared from begin to end. It will probably get sophisticated within the race.
“Tomorrow there is no such thing as a favorite. Mads Pedersen – if he can be right here. Now I do not see a pure favorite, as a result of there is no such thing as a single group to manage or no matter, no single breakaway or no matter. It will likely be attention-grabbing tomorrow.”
One facet of the race that needs to be predictable is the hierarchy at Pogačar’s UAE Group Emirates. The Tour’s first mountain stage over the Col du Galibier noticed a contact of drama within the camp as João Almeida appeared to chastise Juan Ayuso for not using on the entrance because the squad raced to arrange their chief.
Pogačar stated that the temper within the group is nice, whereas additionally responding to a query about rumours of discontent with a zipped mouth gesture.
“I’ve learn some stuff,” he stated as he made the motion. “Clearly, we’ve got a extremely sturdy group – João, Juan and Adam [Yates] – actually shut on GC. It is a good card to have truly and for now, the temper nonetheless fairly good.
“We are going to see how the temper shall be within the final week. It is the primary time racing with João and Juan collectively and I did not race loads with Juan. It needs to be superb. Everyone knows why we’re right here, and what the primary objective is. To this point, so good.”
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