00:00 Every year I work better on the heat. It's still something that I don't like too much,
00:10 to ride on 35-40 degrees on a one-hour climb. But yeah, cooling me down, my teammates, they
00:19 really help a lot. It's a big difference in the end in terms of how I feel. I hate
00:29 it, it goes big thanks to all the riders and the staff. It's a big organisation to deliver
00:36 so many balls. It's playing a big part in this Tour de France, I think, keeping me cool
00:44 and everybody else. This is one main thing that we improved a lot from considering the
00:54 last three years.
00:57 And the attacks, attacking a bit less, accelerating a bit less this year?
01:01 I don't know. Last year I was really far behind and maybe I was wanting too much and then
01:10 it's just doing stupid moves. But this year, a bit more controlled. I was not so far behind
01:19 time-wise. I was not just throwing all the bombs at once, but maybe try to one time and
01:32 do it really 100% to gain a few seconds back. It's a bit different situation compared to
01:39 last year, it's a bit more controlled.
01:43 Now that we're 15 stages into this Tour de France, looking back on your fractured wrist
01:48 and how you began this Tour de France, do you think that you're lacking something or
01:52 you did lack something when you began on day one? And how's your assessment right now of
01:57 your condition with your wrist and how it affects your performance?
02:02 I think I did some racing before and now after two weeks of Tour de France I don't think
02:10 this matters anyway. Maybe it will benefit me now in the last week, but we don't know
02:16 yet. It's not comfortable, the wrist still, so you don't pedal with the wrist. The legs
02:28 are good, so that's the most important thing. I'm happy where I am and we will see after
02:35 the Tour how is the wrist and maybe take some rest after.
02:42 And just to follow up on that, this is the closest Tour de France in years, 15 days in,
02:48 and you've made differences, but they've been minor. Yesterday in Saint-Gervais we didn't
02:54 see any differences at all. Do you have a different strategy how you're going to approach
02:57 the next road stages, Col de la Loze and then Les Marques-Dignes after the time trial?
03:04 I think we will have to see it after the time trial how it is, the situation. More or less
03:15 I think Col de la Loze and Les Marques-Dignes will be all out two stages. It will be two
03:23 stages that will decide the Tour. We'll have to wait and see. I think it's going to be
03:32 very interesting. Third week, last week, and a couple of these stages. It's going to be
03:37 very tight, but we will try.
03:41 Which stage do you reckon before the Tour? The last two stages, 17 or 20?
03:48 I did also 17 and also the time trial. Now I know two stages. I don't know Marckstein
03:59 stage so well. I know the area, I know how the roads are there, so more or less it's
04:07 familiar the stage. I know pretty good now Tuesday and Wednesday. These two stages I
04:14 know pretty well. We'll see. From what I saw in the recon, I think it's going to be a super
04:24 hard week coming up.
04:26 Do you think the 17 is the hardest stage or maybe 20 because it looks like, from my point
04:33 of view, like last stage at Welter 19 when you won with a long attack?
04:40 I think the profile-wise, Wednesday is the hardest of this Tour. It depends on what the
04:53 riders want to do on the stage 20. I think this can be really the hardest stage of the
05:00 Tour in the end. We will see how the situation will be. If it's still tight and we need to
05:12 gain some time, it can happen a lot. You need to attack early and that makes the stage super
05:18 hard. Coda Laloza, I think, is just really focused on the final climb. You get a lot
05:26 of climbing before, tired legs, and then it's just the last climb. It's super, super hard.
05:32 I think both stages are going to be super hard.
05:38 How much of the rest of this Tour, this final week, is a psychological battle as much as
05:44 a physical battle?
05:47 Yes, I think it also can be a psychological war, but I think not so much. I think everybody
06:01 focuses on themselves all the time and try to do their own thing, try to do their own
06:07 race. As I see Jonas, he's pretty good in the bunch. He doesn't look too nervous. I
06:22 think he's really strong this year. We'll see. I think he's going to come down to the
06:31 legs this year.
06:33 Do you have any strategies or anything that you use for coping with the pressure of being
06:39 in the final week of the Tour de France with only 10 seconds off the jersey?
06:44 Yes. I don't know. I don't have any way to reduce stress or something. It's just the
06:57 way you need to live with. It's part of the sport to be a little bit under the stress.
07:03 I think everybody has the same. Whether you're 10 seconds behind or not, it's still quite
07:09 stressful coming into the third week. A lot of following the schedule every day, following
07:16 the attacks every day in the race, doing crazy stages. It's stress that everybody needs to
07:25 go over. I don't have any method to reduce it, but it's just the way it is.
07:35 Hello, today. Jonas got the question yesterday and it seems only fair that you get it today
07:40 as well. With you guys going super fast this year and breaking almost every climbing record,
07:47 I understand the skepticism there is about you and Jonas being these supermen of climbing.
07:57 Yes, I understand. I always get this question every year now at the Tour. I don't see any
08:06 difference this year to other years. We are riding fast. I must say, every stage we go
08:15 full. It's a hard one. I understand people that ask questions because what happened in the past,
08:28 some people don't get over it. I completely understand them.
08:33 On the last two stages, you've been taking off your gloves just before the last climb. Why is that?
08:41 I don't know. I like the feeling better on the bike when I'm without the gloves, but
08:45 we all know that gloves are quite important in bike racing. If you crash and you scratch your
08:54 hand, it's not nice. It's really painful and not easy to heal the wounds on your palm.
09:02 I would prefer to ride all the time without the gloves, but it's just in case.
09:11 Okay, thank you.
09:12 Cheers, Michael. We'll go for the last question now in English. Simon, do you want to come in with
09:21 one? Yes, thank you. Just a question about it looks like we will have a one-two with you and
09:30 Jonas for the third year in a row. How would you say your rivalry in a historical context
09:41 is? How big is your rivalry and who do you think has the psychological advantage going into the
09:49 last week? I don't know. I think we both just live and race in the moment. We don't
09:56 look so much at the history and duels and battles, but for sure we push each other
10:02 in all the ways to improve ourselves and improve the team, improve ourselves.
10:09 I don't know who would have an advantage in psychological
10:16 mind, but he has his own mind. I have my own mind, but I must say that I enjoy this battle
10:27 against him in the third year in a row now. It's a good duel and I respect this battle a lot.
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