A sad day for Tadej Pogacar and his team UAE Team Emirates-XRG. If he has not waste of time after this 9th stage of the Tour de France run at a crazy and much more animated look than expected due to the number of Jonas Rickaert et Mathieu van der Poelremaining vigilant in the face of the attempts to border the Visma | Lease a Bikethe Slovenian world champion, on the other hand, definitively lost his main lieutenant for the mountain for these three weeks of racing, namely JOAO ALMEIDA. After having suffered and hung on for two days following his heavy fall on Friday, the Portuguese was finally forced to abandon in the middle of the stage. Inevitably, the yellow jersey paid tribute to him after the arrival.
Video – Tadej Pogacar After the 9th stage, Fatale in Joao Almeida
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“July 14 … All French runners will want to shine, it will be difficult to control”
“It was already incredible to see how Joao Almeida supported his injuries in recent days. If I have suffered all day today, I dare not imagine what he endured. I have immense respect for him and I am very sad that he must leave the race. Having him with us in the Battle for the General was a luxury. We will have to review our strategy so that its absence has the least possible impact. He was in great shape, and I can't wait to see him again in the race once restored. And of course, now I also want to win this Tour de France for Joao“said a Pogacar More determined than ever before returning to the scenario of the day and then evoking the beautiful battle which promises to be on Monday for July 14.
“We expected a stage like that of today in Châteauroux. The heat made her more difficult, and having Mathieu Van der Poel at the front did not help anything. It was super hard for a flat step. Tomorrow, we expect a very hot and demanding stage. There will be a huge fight to get out of breakdown, because it is national holiday and all French runners will want to shine. It will be difficult to control, but we will be attentive to the movements of other teams. This is not the hardest step of the route, but it offers many possibilities, including for the general classification“, He concluded.
