Tourist
Tadej Pogacar takes over the yellow jersey again after the 7th stage of the Tour de France. He has to worry about a helper, Nils Politt dedicates a hymn of praise.
In the dust behind the destination on the hill above Mûr-de-Bretagne, the Portuguese Joao Almeida stood out and looked badly. Rails and pants were torn. He had bloody wounds on legs, arms and back. “The hip is worst”he said and reached to the left side. Then he climbed into a team car with tortured facial expression that brought him to the X -ray truck below in the village.
Almeida can continue to drive
In the meantime, his captain Tadej Pogacar was honored for his second tour of the tour this year and accepted the yellow jersey, which he had temporarily handed over to the Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel the day before. Almeida’s state clouded Pogacar’s joy about victory on the 7th stage of the Tour de France. “I hope he’s okay”said Pogacar.
The Slovenian did not yet know that Almeida had at least no serious injuries. “An uncomplicated broken rib on the left and severe skin abrasions” I carried Almeida away, the UAE team doctor Adrian Rotunno later informed. The Portuguese will be observed, but will probably be at the start at the 8th stage.
Sportschau Tourfunk, 07/11/2025 6:36 pm
This should also make Pogacar easier, because Almeida is considered his most important helper for the high mountains. Pogacar may celebrate his victories alone, but he also benefits from the services of his team. So also on the way to Mûr-de-Bretagne, where his teammates had prepared the success according to plan. “I am very proud of how we drove”said Pogacar. “Today we were close to perfection.”
The day’s victory on the 7th stage of the Tour de France was a victory with an announcement. “We are going to the stage victory”Pogacar had already announced in the morning at the start in Saint Malo and then had this project prepared by his team. The goal in Mûr-de-Bretagne is iconic, explained Pogacar, who apparently wants to register on every side of cycling history.
Hyrying anthem of the boss after hard work
Above all, this meant a hard working day for Nils Politt, which spent many kilometers at the top of the field to keep the escape group of the day at bay. For hours you saw the Cologne racking off. Thanks to Politt, the head start of the outliers, including the tour winner from 2018, Geraint Thomas, never grew to much more than a minute and a half. “It was a lot of work, but it was rewarded with the victory, so very nice”said Politt later quite soberly on the team bus.
Pogacar, on the other hand, reacted with a hymn of praise when he was asked about his German helper. “Nils is our giraffe”the Slovenian began in allusion to the 1.92 meter length of the Cologne. Politt suffered a little in the first few days, he said. “But now that it matters, he shows that he is one of the best domestics in the world, if not the best for the job. Nils Politt is unique.”
The best driver in the world in the best team
Politt’s job was done around 20 kilometers before the finish, then others took on the task of preparing Pogacar. Tim Wellens, for example, who led his captain into the final climb. And later Jhonatan Navárez, who not only managed to go with the favorites on the last two steep kilometers, but also to drive Pogacar the sprint, which he then won in front of his worst adversary Jonas Vingegaard.
Pogacar – undisputedly the best cyclist in the world – creates many things on their own, but also one of the best, if not the best team in the world, makes it even more unassailable. Pogacar can easily put helpers from this caliber with a UAE team, which is allegedly equipped with a budget of allegedly around 60 million euros, with a budget of allegedly around 60 million euros.
The Slovenian should be all the happier that Almeida – winner of the Tour de Suisse in June and fourth of the Tour de France – can apparently continue. Pogacar will need him on the way to his fourth tour victory. At the weekend there are two flat stages that Pogacar already referred to in Mûr-de-Brittany, but somehow has to survive Almeida, just like the upcoming stage in the central massif. This is followed by the rest day before it gets serious in the Pyrenees.