'Nothing is easy in cycling' - Tadej Pogacar delivers another exhibition to cement Dauphiné lead

"It was sort of a defence today to go on the attack and not have my riders attacking all the time," Pogačar explained in his post-race interview. "I just tried to pace myself to the top, eased up the last kilometre and rolled through the finish."

The UAE Team Emirates-XRG leader found himself isolated with only teammate Pavel Sivakov for support after Marc Soler and Jhonatan Narváez were dropped on the Col de la Croix de Fer. Pogačar even served as a domestique at one point, delivering water bottles to Sivakov in the valley.

"They dropped Marc [Soler] and Jhonny [Jhonatan Narváez) just on the top of Croix de Fer and went all out downhill with Sepp and Matteo," Pogačar said. "I didn't find it entertaining at all. It was just me and Pavel in the valley."

Despite the tactical challenges, Pogačar responded confidently to attacks from his rivals and maintained control throughout the stage. He deliberately conserved energy in the final kilometre, with the Tour de France clearly in mind.

When questioned about suggestions that his dominance might make for a boring Tour, Pogačar dismissed such claims.

"I don't think so. I would sign on this that I win it easy, but nothing is easy in cycling," he said. "Dauphiné cannot tell everything. The Tour is three weeks long and this is a preparation race."

The Slovenian acknowledged that his strong performance might give him a psychological edge over main Tour rival Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike).

"For me it's a bonus that I can win this kind of stage with super-hot conditions and big mountains," Pogačar said. "It's good motivation for the Tour."

With just one stage remaining in the Dauphiné, Pogačar holds a commanding lead in the GC [1:01] that even he didn't anticipate.

"Honestly, no," he admitted when asked if he expected such a margin. "I'm just happy with whatever I have with the lead. I'll try to bring this home safely tomorrow and then we rest."

Pogačar won the stage by 14 seconds from Vingegaard after attacking with 12km of the final hors categorie climb remaining. In the overall standings, he carries a lead of 1:01 over his rival into Sunday's final stage to Mont Cenis.