It was pouring rain on the outskirts of Valence after stage 17 of the Tour de France in July. Following days of scorching heat, the sky over the Ardèche had turned pitch-black a perfect case of “pathetic fallacy,” if life were an English essay. The grandeur of Mont Ventoux from the previous stage quickly gave way to reality: a flat sprint finish along a drab highway flanked by grey office blocks. The gloomy mood deepened when chaos struck at the finish a prankster somehow made it onto the course, and a crash in the final kilometre left just a few riders to contest the win, which went to Jonathan Milan.
Amid the downpour, the uninspiring stage, and the social media stunt, few noticed what yellow jersey holder Tadej Pogačar was dealing with. He finished safely in 27th place, fulfilled his duties as race leader including a tense press conference that pleased no one and that seemed to be that. Or so it appeared.
This week, his UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammate Tim Wellens revealed that Pogačar went to the hospital that evening because of knee pain, sparking fears he might withdraw. It’s surprising such news didn’t leak earlier in today’s world, but the secrecy adds a certain intrigue. Ultimately, he stayed in the race, kept his yellow jersey through the Alps, and won in Paris by more than four minutes.
Still, the Pogačar who finished the Tour was different less dominant, quieter. He didn’t win on Mont Ventoux, the Col de la Loze, or in La Plagne. Reporters noticed, and every press conference that final week brought questions like “What’s wrong?” or “Are you bored?” His answer wasn’t “My knee hurts,” but something more human: he was simply tired mentally and physically and ready for it all to be over.
“I ask myself why I’m still here these three weeks feel so long,” he admitted after stage 18. “You start counting down the kilometres to Paris, and yes, I can’t wait for it to end so I can enjoy some other nice things in life.”
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