Taddei Pogachar has been compared to Eddy Merckx for his dominating runs, but like the "cannibal," he had nothing to give his rivals at the first mountain finish of the Tour de France, La Super Planche des Belles Fils.

Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) thought he had done enough to win the stage when he attacked Pogachar in the last 300 meters and caught Renard Kamuna (Bora-Hansgrohe) right at the finish. However, Pogachar had his reasons for wanting to win, and he kicked the Dane out of the race and snatched victory.

"Today was a really important stage for me too," he said. My family was at the foot of the mountain and my fiancée, Urska, was with a kilometer to go. I wanted to win as a team."

"I also wore special new shoes in the name of a new cancer research fund we are launching (opens in new tab). We wanted to win on this stage and on this special day."

There was no gift for Vingegaard, but there was respect for perhaps his biggest rival in the 2022 Tour de France.

"He's probably the best climber in the world right now," Pogachar said, careful not to suggest Vingegaard's superiority.

"He's the guy to beat. He's a really compact rider and he has a strong team around him. So far he has been riding really well. Next week will be tough and probably suits him. It will be a tough fight and the race is not over yet. The next two weeks will be all about attacks, drops, and everything else."

Pogachar has so far gained time on all his rivals in every terrain in this year's Tour de France. But the difference is seconds, not minutes. Now that he's shining yellow and racking up stage wins, he's full of confidence, but also cautious about the future.

He remains hungry, as Merckx always has.

"For me, it's been a really great seven days with two stage wins and the yellow jersey. But this Tour is not over yet.

"I saw today that a lot of the riders are super strong. Next week will be tough with a lot of mountains. Today there was only one climb that lasted less than 20 minutes. Next week there are big mountains

"There is not a big gap yet, everything is open, but I am confident that I will do everything I can to defend the yellow jersey."

Pogachar respects his rivals and they respect him. It has been suggested that his biggest overall rivals, Jumbo Visma and Ineos Grenadier, may join forces in some way to attack Pogachar.

Pogachar did not deny such a threat, but made it clear that he believes he has the answer no matter what strategy his rivals come up with.

"In the end, in climbing, it's all about the legs," he noted simply.

"I will certainly be up against a lot of competitors. For me it's the same whether they race with me or not. On the big stages you always have to put the pedal to the metal the best you can and give it everything you've got."