Pogacar: A Grand Tour is never decided, even with a 20-minute lead

Despite a commanding lead in the Vuelta a España, Tadej Pogacar remains cautious, emphasizing that "you can never say that a Grand Tour is decided, even if you have 20 minutes." The Slovenian rider demonstrated his dominance with a powerful attack on the first mountain stage, solidifying his position at the top of the general classification.

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you can never say that a Grand Tour is decided, even if you have 20 minutes.

Pogacar launched his decisive move with 50 kilometers remaining, an attack that proved too strong for his rivals. He described the stage as "a good day, but also hard," noting that he felt strong after overcoming an early strategic attempt by the Decathlon team to isolate him. The victory in Andorra la Vella was particularly meaningful, evoking memories of his first Vuelta stage win in 2019.

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It was a good day, but also hard. After a good attempt by Decathlon to isolate me, I felt good and decided to attack. It was a beautiful and important moment to be able to win.

During his winning effort, Pogacar even had a moment to greet his teammate Adam Yates, who was spectating from the roadside. "I know Adam Yates well, but I didn't expect to see him on the side of the road. It was nice to find him, I thought he was a fan," Pogacar commented, adding that he recognized him despite being at full effort.

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I know Adam Yates well, but I didn't expect to see him on the side of the road. It was nice to find him, I thought he was a fan. I was able to recognize him despite going full throttle.

While Pogacar has secured multiple stage wins, he is not fixated on breaking records, such as Freddy Maertens' record of 13 stage victories in a single edition. "I'm not considering it. I'm already happy with 2 victories. If there are more opportunities to win, it will be a bonus, an extra gift, but I don't think I'll reach 13, that's not my idea," he explained. His focus remains on enjoying the race, riding stress-free, and defending the red jersey.

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I'm not considering it. I'm already happy with 2 victories. If there are more opportunities to win, it will be a bonus, an extra gift, but I don't think I'll reach 13, that's not my idea. I will go day by day, without stress, calmly, to enjoy, and also, of course, defending the red jersey.