The beginning and the end of the fourteenth stage were tricky. Immediately after the start, the pace was high. Pogacar tried to take advantage of the chaotic situation and attacked on the day's first climb. Vingegaard and Wout van Aert reacted attentively. “There were many attacks, also from riders who are still among the first the general classification”, Van Aert said. “They tried to sneak into the leading group. That made it hard to keep control, and I thought it was better to be there. Pogacar was immediately in my wheel, so I changed position and waited for my teammates to return. Eventually, a big break emerged, and we had to work hard to defend the yellow jersey.”

Leading up to the steep Côte de la Croix Neuve Monteé Jalabert, Van Aert and Sepp Kuss stepped up the pace before Pogacar attacked again. Vingegaard immediately countered and stayed in his wheel until the finish. “Pogacar rode a strong pace”, the 25-year-old Dane said. “It was a tough climb, and I expected him to attack, so I’m glad I could follow him. I was a bit too far back when Pogacar attacked at the beginning, but luckily I could close that gap quickly. The team rode a strong stage again and we will continue to fight. We will take it from day to day.”

Sports director Frans Maassen was satisfied with today’s race. “It was a very tough stage. We knew we had to work hard, but we didn’t expect Pogacar to jump at the beginning. We had five riders in the group and took control. Ultimately, we needed to fight at the front and the back. I think Jonas and Pogacar were at their limit on the last climb. They appear to be evenly matched, but Jonas looked strong. It was a good day for us.”

Van Aert looked ahead to tomorrow’s stage. “I expect another tough stage because in France, the roads go up and down all the time. It will be even hotter than today. Yesterday we saw a bunch sprint is not always the outcome, but I feel good. We’ll see if I get a chance tomorrow.”