‘It’s just a pretty simple test’ – Tour de France leader Tadej Pogačar confirms use of carbon monoxide rebreather

“It was just a normal day in the office, more or less,” Tadej Pogačar exhaled at the end of his press conference at Superdévoluy on Wednesday afternoon. And, in the life less ordinary of the maillot jaune of the Tour de France, it probably qualified as such.

On the bike, Pogačar instigated a late scrap among the podium contenders when he delivered an unprovoked jab on the upper reaches of the Col du Noyer. “No, it was a stupid instinct,” Pogačar smiled when asked if it had been planned.