Speaking to Cycling Pro Net after stage 3, Pogacar said UAE had achieved what they set out to do by placing a rider in the break. “Yeah, it was the plan to get someone in the break. First it was Felix and Johnny in the break, and then only Johnny with Meurisse. They were really motoring away,” said Pogacar. “It was a flying stage, really fast, so chapeau to Johnny and Meurisse to keep it in the front today. I was super happy. We are all happy for Johnny.”The Tour de Suisse now moves into a different kind of test, with stage 4 bringing an individual time trial in Aarburg before the final mountain stage in Villars-sur-Ollon.
Pogacar starts last at 17:02, one minute after Carapaz and two minutes after Bagioli. Brandon McNulty, Ilan Van Wilder, Wilco Kelderman and Narvaez are also among the late starters, while Primoz Roglic begins his ride earlier at 16:48 after dropping to 16th overall at 6:25.
For Pogacar, the stage is a useful checkpoint as much as a race-defining moment. He has already put himself in a commanding position overall, but the TT gives him a first proper chance this year to test his rhythm against the clock in race conditions.
“I don’t know. It is the first proper TT for me this year, I think,” he said. “It will be fun to test the legs, the sensations and everything. I am looking forward to tomorrow. It is always a nice day when it is a TT.”
Pogacar was also asked how he had found the Tour de Suisse after three days. His answer was typically understated: “It is all right.”
The race situation is rather stronger than that. Pogacar has already won stage 1, watched UAE add another victory through Narvaez on stage 3, and now carries a 2:50 buffer into the only individual time trial of this year’s race.