The international press did not have much time to put the yellow jersey Pogacar to the test. He stuck to short answers. “I am happy with my own level and with the values I am achieving. The competition? This has already been a very tough Tour with many crashes. And riders suffer from that.”
“I got through this first week almost unscathed. I felt best during stage 8. to Le Grand-Bornand. We also wanted to show as a team that we are strong and that we can take control of the race. Everyone has I did a fantastic job that ride. I was proud of my team.”
The criticism that his team would be too weak, therefore, sweeps Pogacar off the table. “We are one of the strongest teams here. My teammates give themselves 100 percent for me and everyone is motivated. We are certainly strong enough to defend this jersey until Paris.”
“One of my biggest motivations this year is to show that the previous overall victory was not a fluke. That I am not a one-hit wonder who built everything on that one time trial. I want to show what I can do. If someone doesn’t believe in me, I want to prove otherwise. That’s in me.”
The topic of doping was also briefly touched upon. “I’m checked a lot. Yesterday even three times. That’s proof enough,” said Pogacar.
