Defending champion Tadej Pogacar does not want to let the spate of illness within the team at the Tour de France unsettle him ahead of the gruelling Alpine stages. “I think we’ll just take it as it comes. We’ll get through the stage and try to make it to Alpe d’Huez. And then we’ll see what we can achieve,” said the four-time Tour champion after the 18th stage.
The world champion currently holds a comfortable lead in the general classification, sitting 4 minutes and 32 seconds ahead of the Belgian Remco Evenepoel. On Friday, the first of two climbs to the cycling mecca of Alpe d’Huez is on the programme. A day later, an even tougher challenge awaits – the queen stage features 5,650 metres of climbing, including three category 1 climbs. The Tour finishes in Paris on Sunday.
Pogacar: “We can cope with it”
Will the team face further problems following the withdrawal of the ill American professional Brandon McNulty? Will the Tour get exciting again? “I think we can cope with it,” said the Slovenian. “It’s already the third week, so all the teams are struggling a bit.”
According to Pogacar, Felix Großschartner is currently riding “really well”, as is Cologne’s Nils Politt. Isaac del Toro from Mexico, who is currently third overall and a key climber, is “incredible”. And Britain’s Adam Yates, who had recently been struggling with stomach problems, is feeling better. Pogacar said he was “very disappointed” that McNulty would not be finishing the Tour. “We’ll miss him over the next two days.”
When asked about the illnesses, Pogacar’s support staff member Politt said he didn’t know what was “going round”. “You hear from lots of riders in the peloton that they’re feeling under the weather and are ill,” he said, commenting on the situation in the third week of the Tour.
The professionals from the UAE team have been staying in single rooms throughout the entire tour. “We’re trying to keep our distance,” he said. On the evening before the stage, those feeling unwell had eaten in their rooms. “Just like during the pandemic – sanitise your hands, wear a mask,” said the man from Cologne.
This doesn’t seem to dampen his anticipation for Alpe d’Huez; he’s looking forward to it. “Alpe d’Huez is always something very special and it’s definitely going to be a spectacular event,” he said.
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