Tour of Spain: Tadej Pogacar: "When he attacked Valverde he was tired and I followed López"

The Slovenian Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates), third in the general of the Tour of Spain, could not live up to the best this Sunday when he attacked Alejandro Valverde, so he dedicated himself to marking Miguel Ángel `Superman´ López ( Astana) and keep the best young white jersey.

"When Valverde attacked I was a little tired, but I also didn't want to waste more energy accelerating so early on the climb. Instead, I decided it was better to follow López, since he is still the closest to me in the overall standings," he explained. .

On a demanding day in the first mountain stage in Asturias, the 20-year-old Pogacar objectives remained intact, although he lost 40 seconds overall with respect to his compatriot and leader Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) and Valverde

"It was another really fast day and the start was very difficult. The final ascent became increasingly difficult but I still had strength in the last climb, so I am very happy to have been able to keep third place overall and white shirt, "he said.