Pogačar launched a last-minute attack to the line in Longwy, finishing ahead of Australian Michael Matthews to take Stage 6 and the yellow jersey in impressive fashion.
Teammate Brandon McNulty admitted the Slovenian’s attack was not planned for the 219.9-kilometre trek but was yet another display of his versatility and ability to capitalise on the work of he and Rafa Majka.
“It wasn’t even necessarily part of the plan, but we were all there in those last few climbs and we just went for it,” McNulty said.
“It’s more on us with the jersey but you can never really turn it down.”
“We pulled on the stage with some other teams at first, but after 220 kilometres it’s always a different race,” Majka added.
“We had the legs as a team, and I could see after the first climb that Tadej was in great shape.
“Me and Brandon really pulled hard and then Tadej handled the sprint.
“Sometimes in the first stages of this year’s race we were a little bit behind but today we showed them we were there.”
Despite being the longest stage at this year’s Tour, the stage itself was contested at quite a pace, with Wout van Aert particularly keen to continue his run in the yellow jersey.
Van Aert was aggressive in his efforts to move clear of the chase, though he was eventually caught after the first of two sharp climbs to conclude the stage.
With Pogačar waiting in the wings, a fast pace was set by UAE Team Emirates and the 23-year-old made the most of it; passing rival Primož Roglič en route to the finish.
“It’s no surprise he’s so strong. He actually demonstrated that yesterday on the cobbles and in the TT before, too, that he can be strong everywhere,” Majka explained.
“And he’s not afraid of anybody. He’s a real phenomenon, a fuoriclasse.
“He asked us to put down as hard a pace as possible and he could just finish it off.”
Pogačar will now take a four-second lead into Stage 7 – a 176.3-kilometre journey from Tomblaine to La Super Planche des Belles Filles – where several GC contenders will look to try prise the yellow jersey away.
As for the man himself, wearing yellow may help motivate his team to build on their early advantage in the mountains, particularly as the Grand Tour reaches the end of its first week.
“Tomorrow we enter the climbs and it’s good to have the yellow jersey as I need to defend these days,” Pogačar said.
“It’s good to have the yellow for the confidence and motivation of the teams.
“It’s something that you do not say no, and you ride every day with pride and a smile on the face.”
The Tour de France continues with Stage 7, the first mountain stage of the race, finishing atop the Planche des Belles Filles. The race broadcast starts at 8:55pm (AEST) on the SBS ŠKODA Tour Tracker, with the SBS television coverage starting at 9:30pm (AEST).
