2023-07-23 04:29:19
Thadej Pogacar, who won, let out a roar and said, “Thanks to everyone’s encouragement, I was able to keep running.” We will look back on the 20th stage of the Tour in the words of the players, such as Pinot, who won the Fighting Spirit Award even though he missed the victory, and Vingegaard, who decided to acquire the Maillot Jaune for the second time.
Section Winner & Overall 2nd Tadej Pogacar (Slovenia, UAE Team Emirates)
Tadej Pogacar (Slovenia, UAE Team Emirates) who shouted and passed the finish Photo: ASO
Today, I finally got my power back. After a difficult few days, I was in good shape from the start to the finish. And I’m really happy with this win. Waiting for Adam (Yates) on the final climb and catching up with his brother (Simon). At the end, thanks to Adam’s leadout, I had plenty of time to go into the final sprint. And once more today the team did a great job.
-Tell us regarding your best memories of this tournament.
It would be what. The atmosphere in the team bus every day. All the days I ran with them will be a memory.
-On the other hand, what is your worst memory?
Marc Soler must have looked at me worriedly at the Loz Pass (on the stalled stage 17) (laughs).
Tadej Pogacar (Slovenia, UAE Team Emirates) sharing the joy with Rafal Maika Photo: CorVos
Interview following award ceremony
The only place they (Jumbo-Visma) might pull me apart was the Marieblanc pass (stage 5). I took the stage win the next day, even though I was behind in their high-speed towing. The delay following that was caused by my own poor condition. No one beat me, I was late because of my own problems.
When the condition is good, you can continue to step while suffering, but when the condition is bad, you will not have the strength. That was the big lesson I learned from this competition.
Throughout this race, I received a lot of encouragement from my team, family, girlfriends, friends, roadside fans, and social media. Thanks to that, I was able to keep running until the end without giving up. And even with all those bad days, 2nd place overall is a good result. Keep stepping to get a good moment even in a bad situation. Then today came a good moment.
Section 3 & Maillot Jaune Jonas Vingegaard (Denmark, Jumbo-Visma)
Jonas Vingego (Denmark, Jumbo Visma) who almost got the Mayo Jaune Photo: CorVos
The second overall win is just as good as the first. I can’t believe this is real. It seemed like a crazy battle over the course of three weeks. It was an interesting race not only for the fans watching, but also for us running. And I would like to thank Tadej (Pogachar) who fought once more today. I was able to enjoy not only today’s race, but also every day I ran wearing the maillot jaune.
This result would not have been possible without the incredible team that has protected me over the past three weeks. I can’t wait to run with you tomorrow. I want to run the race in Paris tomorrow without doing anything stupid.
I want to keep competing with Tadej, who had a great fight from the opening city of Bilbao.
4th in section & 4th overall Simon Yates (Great Britain, Jaiko AlUllah)
Simon Yates (England, Jayco AlUla) finished 4th on the stage and moved up to 4th overall Photo: Team Jayco AlUla
He was aiming to win the stage and improve his overall ranking. However, there was no leg to get on the escape, and in the end, the UAE caught the escape. I lost regarding 40 seconds of overall time in the early part of the Tour due to a stupid crash, but other than that I had a good run. Of course, there were some stages that suffered from heat for regarding two days, but there were no major collapses.
I was lucky enough to catch up with Adam today and aim for a stage win, but it was difficult to win with someone who was good at sprinting.
It was the first time in a long time that I was able to complete the race without injury, poor physical condition, or crash. So I’m happy and finally feeling like I’m back to normal.
5th in section & 3rd overall Adam Yates (UK, UAE Team Emirates)
Adam Yates (UK, UAE Team Emirates) praising Vingego for his good fight Photo: CorVos
Aiming for Tadej’s stage victory, he controlled the race development. However, since it was the final mountain stage, it was difficult to control the car while everyone was giving 100% effort. In the end I caught up with the leading pack with Simon and I think it was a good leadout considering my own ability.
It’s not easy to be in top condition all three weeks. Also, Tadej has been under pressure all year. He had a good run at the beginning and end of this tournament. I can take this as a good result and I will try once more next year.
Overall 3rd place is the best result in the Grand Tour that I have run so far. As a team, we were aiming for the Maillot Jaune, so it’s frustrating, but I’m very happy with my own results. I haven’t been able to complete a Grand Tour for a long time without getting sick, so I’m happy with that aspect as well.
Thibaut Pinot (France, Groupama FDJ) closes in on victory following running away
Thibaut Pinot alone on the penultimate mountain (Groupama FDJ, France) Photo: CorVos
I wasn’t thinking regarding where to start, but I knew I had to attack early if I wanted to win. It was a wonderful experience to be able to aim for the stage victory in a crowd of spectators. I even got goosebumps from the loud cheers.
There were some familiar faces (at the Pino corner), and it was a lucky moment when I ran alone in the lead. However, this may be the last chance for such an experience. It was such a wonderful experience that I mightn’t believe that all of them were cheering for me. I want to thank everyone who supported me.
text: Sotaro Arakawa
photo: CorVos, ASO
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