It is indeed a Slovenian rider who will win the 107th Tour de France this Sunday, but not the one we expected.
At the end of a breathtaking time trial, Tadej Pogacar overturned the Tour and took back the 57 seconds of handicap he had at the start on his compatriot Primoz Roglic, totally stunned at the finish.
The day before his 22nd birthday, which he will celebrate this Monday, Pogacar will become this Sunday the youngest winner in the history of the Tour since the end of the Second World War.
How do you feel after this stunning finale?
TADEJ POGACAR.
I'm in the middle of a dream, I don't know what to say.
We dreamed of this from the start and we succeeded.
It's incredible !
Taking the yellow jersey on the last day
(there is still the final stage on the Champs-Elysées this Sunday)
, it was a dream.
You know, my dream was just to be in the Tour de France and now I just won it.
This is insane.
You knew the route of the stage well.
What made the difference?
We did a reconnaissance and I knew every turn, every place to accelerate.
However, I only heard my sports director on the radio on the first part.
Then I couldn't hear anything on the climb because of the noise of the crowd.
But as I knew him well, I went all the way to the end.
At the start, did you think you would take 57 seconds from Primoz Roglic?
Honestly, not at all.
I didn't expect to take all that time back.
Roglic looked broken down but it was only when he got there that I realized that I had won the race.
At the start this morning, I imagined myself finishing second in the Tour and I was already very happy.
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Can you imagine how your compatriot Roglic feels?
I'm sad for him because it's horrible to lose the yellow jersey on the last stage.
I have a lot of respect for him.
He's a good friend and he was the best rider on the whole Tour.
But this is the race.
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With Roglic and Pogacar, it's the Slovenian Tour
How did you achieve this feat?
I don't know, I don't know what to say.
I don't know how I did this.
Really, it is the truth.
I took each step one by one, every night I called my girlfriend who told me to stay calm, not to stress during these three weeks.
Maybe that was the right method.
Where did you find the energy after wasting time in the Col de la Loze?
At the Col de la Loze, there were riders stronger than me.
But I fought to the end because it is part of me.
I never give up.
They say you won the Tour without a team around you ...
This is incorrect.
I am very proud of my team.
Without her, I wouldn't have done it.
My teammates have made great efforts and it is first and foremost a team effort.
We did the reconnaissance together and thanks to that, I knew every turn, every switchback, every road.
I knew where to accelerate.
I would really like to congratulate everyone: my sport directors, my mechanics and my teammates.
Are you aware that you are succeeding immense riders who have won the Tour?
Hinault, Merckx… To be honest, not at all.
To find myself here in front of you in the yellow jersey is unthinkable.
I'll do all of this later.
Can you imagine what happens in Slovenia with your victory?
I think first of my parents who must be happy.
But I am proud to be Slovenian.
And it was not the president who called me right after arrival, but my girlfriend.
Who are you ?
I have two sisters, a brother.
I love to have fun, I love life, the little things but I don't know what to say more about me.