After a straightforward day, still in the yellow jersey, we started with a flat stage, again stressful, yes, another day checked off. Somehow I have gotten used to all the media obligations after each stage, I have excellent support from the team, our staff really takes care of me, making sure I eat properly after the stage so I can regenerate and not have any additional stress, so I don’t have to rush anywhere. So every day I can somehow enjoy this podium circus, with all the journalists, all the press conferences, TVs and radios, winner’s podiums, and daily post-stage controls, so it takes quite a bit of time, but I have to say that since the Giro I somehow got used to it, it stuck in my memory and it’s not difficult for me to stay at the venue for an hour or an hour and a half longer after the stage and talk to journalists, organizers, and others.
And then came that stage at Puy Mary, where I tried. I wanted to make a big difference with an attack from afar, unfortunately, I didn’t succeed. Jonas was really strong and beat me even in the sprint, which meant that Jonas is really in good form. After that stage, I knew that the Pyrenees were for me because it won’t be too hot there, and I could try to make a difference. At that time, I wasn’t 100% sure that I could make an even bigger difference to Jonas, a 14-minute lead was quite decent, but I wanted a bigger gap. We all know how it was last year in the time trial, where he beat me by 1 minute 40 seconds. I had marked the Pyrenees. On the first day, we wanted to control the race, we tried to attack with Yates on the final climb, then I tried myself, caught him, and we rode together for a while so I could catch my breath. Mentally, it gave me an extra boost to push a bit harder and make a difference to the finish line, win the stage, which is truly incredible. I owe all thanks to the team, who did an exceptional job once again. It was a perfect stage for me.
Then came the Sunday stage, it was a completely different story for us. We wanted a breakaway because the start was really tough, and we wanted to have Tim Wellens and Nils Politt in the group to control the race all day at their own pace. But Team Jumbo-Visma took the initiative, they made a plan and raced really well, they truly made it a tough race. They followed the plan, Jonas attacked on the final climb, luckily I had very good legs. Maybe there was also some mental game, I followed his wheel, just as Jonas has been riding on my wheel for the last three years. I think I also recognize when Jonas starts to suffer, when he can go even better, but hats off to Jumbo-Visma, they raced well and deserved the win. Luckily, I had really good legs and was able to make an even bigger difference, which gives me a lot of confidence as we head into the third week!
Translated words from Tadej