As if the ease with which he rode up the final ascent on Stage 2 wasn’t message enough, Pogacar signalled his intent again — this time via a long-range stalking of the prey. 

It took a while to happen, but a 19-man break finally established itself after several gruelling attacks on a day when the thermostat sat close to 40 degrees. Visma Lease A Bike and most of the other teams seemed happy to let it go for the win – but then the UAE team decided to change all that.

“I’m not surprised that the start was so hard, but I’m surprised that it was for the favourites,” Vingegaard said. “I had actually thought it would be a breakaway that made it home. But UAE wanted to win again. They did a good piece of teamwork. It was well ridden by them.”

Pidcock, that guy who already kinda hates Le Tour, had this to say: “The big moral of the story is how bloody hot it was all day. I don’t think I’ve done such a hard race in such heat before. It was ridiculous.

“It was like a war zone, everyone trying to get bottles,” he said. “I think we went through about 10,000 bidons today in the peloton.”

He reminds me of your mate who turns up for a group ride on a toasty summer morning for a hard group ride who had a few beers the night before, he just can’t be arsed can he?!

Anyway, back to UAE and Pogacar – like a hunter on the hot open plains,  he quietly began to stalk his prey, sending his team to the front of the peloton. Where others saw the opportunity to relax a little, the World Champion was only seeing Yellow and an opportunity to flex his muscle.

The break reeled in, the UAE riders put in a textbook effort to leave Del Toro to lead the final kilometre. Pogačar waited, then struck — stage win and yellow, level on time with Vingegaard who was 2nd, taking 1st place thanks to winning the stage. Carapaz took third, Seixas a strong fourth.

A journalist asked Pogacar how he stayed hungry for stage wins. 

“I’m not so hungry. I eat every 30 minutes, one gel, so I’m not so hungry,” Pogačar joked. “But no, if we can win, like we did today, and the team feels super good, then we have to take the opportunity. We tried, we gave it our all, and we won.”

The old script — let a break go, save it for the big mountains — is gone. These riders are faster, fitter, better fed and recovered than any generation before them, but even they fancied a light day yesterday – all except UAE.

“They obviously took so much confidence from yesterday that they felt they could do that,” Pidcock said. “And they can. They’re the only team who could control a day like today. They did it for a reason, and it worked.”

So dominant is the Slovenian, that he was asked also about whether he has Mark Cavendish’s record 35 Tour stage wins in his sights. He is currently on 22, and is 27 years old. 

‘That is very far away. I stay in the moment and enjoy this victory.’

Stage 3 top 3: Pogačar, Vingegaard, Carapaz all s.t.

GC top 3: 

1.Pogačar

2.Vingegaard (s.t.) 

1. Evenepoel +23″