World-class "unique" Politt: Euphoric Pogacar can hardly contain himself because of the German "Giraffe"
Nils Politt had led the peloton for hours on the last two hilly stages and set the pace.
(Photo: IMAGO/Photo News)
Slovenian giant Tadej Pogacar has once again taken the yellow jersey at the 112th Tour de France. The cycling star is counting on Nils Politt as his worthy assistant. When asked about the giant Cologne native, the 26-year-old can't stop raving about it.
Defending Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar was almost unstoppable when asked about the value of his German teammate Nils Politt. "Nils is unique," said the cycling superstar after reclaiming the yellow jersey on stage seven in Brittany.
The 26-year-old celebrated his 19th Tour stage win in the 112th edition. He also ensured that he will wear cycling's most famous leader's jersey for the 42nd time starting Saturday. Politt had led the peloton for hours on the last two hilly stages, setting the pace. He helped the exceptional Slovenian rider significantly with his increased pace, ensuring he had sufficient energy for the final sprint.
Pogacar: "One of the best noble helpers""Nils is our giraffe," said the Slovenian with a grin. "He struggled a bit in the first few days. But when it counts, he always shows that he's one of the best helpers in the world. If not the best for this kind of job," praised the world champion effusively. "I'm very happy to have him. He's also very smart. He can tell you straight to your face what he wants and what he thinks is best," added Pogacar. The world champion also praised his helper, Tim Wellens, as a "unique rider." The Belgian currently wears the polka-dotted climber's jersey.
With his second stage win of this year's edition, Pogacar made it clear that the opposition would have great difficulty stopping the aggressive champion from claiming his fourth triumph. He beat his rival Jonas Vingegaard in a sprint in Friday's finale on the steep Mûr-de-Bretagne. Prior to that, Politt's support team had given his captain an excellent starting position. "When everything is under control, the chances of winning a finale like this are higher. It was perfect in the end," said Pogacar.
"We want to win the Tour again. I want to support Tadej as best as I can," Politt recently made clear. After the successful individual time trial, in which Pogacar finished second behind double Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel of Belgium, the Cologne native reiterated that everything was going according to plan. Since last year, the one-time Tour stage winner (2021) has been riding for the UAE team led by star rider Pogacar.
Source: ntv.de, tno/dpa/sid
n-tv.de
