Pogacar: I can't wait until the Tour de France is all over

The Tour de France is more or less won, but it’s not over yet. Tadej Pogačar faces the final mountains of the race on stage 19 to La Plagne, but after extending his overall lead at the Col de la Loze on Thursday, he confessed that he was already longing for the finish.

“It is a point that I ask myself why I’m still here. It’s so long, these three weeks. You just count the kilometres to Paris. I cannot wait until it’s all over and I can do some other nice stuff in my life as well,” Pogačar said in the post-stage press conference, though he tempered his statement in the next breath.

“But I try to enjoy every day on the bike as much as I can, even though it’s hard. The fans really help. It’s still nice to ride, even in the third week when you’re tired and annoyed by everybody around you. 

“You just want to go home, but when you ride on these big climbs and people cheer you, it gives you extra motivation. Then you realise it’s not so bad to be here. And if you have good legs then it makes everything quite good.”

Pogačar carries a lead of 4:26 over Jonas Vingegaard into the final three days of the Tour after he punched his way clear of the Dane in the final kilometre of stage 18. The UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider has already won four stages on this Tour – at Rouen, Mûr-de-Bretagne, Hautacam and Peyragudes – but it remains to be seen if he has designs on matching last year’s tally of six.

Friday’s summit finish to La Plagne, twice conquered by Laurent Fignon, looks an obvious opportunity for Pogačar, as does the revamped finale in Paris on Sunday evening, which features the climb of Montmartre.

Pogačar confessed that he had designs on stage victory at the Col de la Loze on Thursday only for Visma | Lease a Bike’s onslaught on the Col de la Madeleine to change the dynamic of the day. Even so, Pogačar was always in control on the final haul to the line, making amends for his travails on the pass two years ago. He took second on the stage behind breakaway winner Ben O’Connor (Jayco-Alula).

“Visma attacked on the Col de la Madeleine, so our tactics fell apart and we couldn’t go for the stage today,” Pogačar said. “I would love to win, but the more important thing is to keep the jersey. In the end, I’m super happy. I couldn’t be happier that I have even extended the lead. All I need to say is congrats to Ben and Jayco, he did an amazing ride today. If the things go in another direction, they go in another direction, but with how we rode today, I take it as a victory.”