Tadej Pogacar has rested well and is calm. The Slovenian champion is enjoying his rest day but is ready to start the final week of the race, during which the Alps will decide the winner of the Grande Boucle. The world champion has no doubts or uncertainties and believes he can win this Tour, even though Vingegaard and his Visma-Lease a Bike will continue to attack.

"I think that those who designed the stages this year did so with the intention of scaring me. We had Hautacam and now Mont Ventoux will come, then Col de la Loze. On these climbs, Jonas dropped me all three times, but I always consider it as a race situation and not about which climb suits him better or worse. It's just the race situation, how the race is going, because I think all climbs are more or less the same, the important thing is to tackle them with maximum calm. For me, Ventoux is one of the toughest climbs I've ever done in my career, but I'm not looking for revenge or anything like that, I just want to have better legs compared to two days ago, that's all I hope for."

This morning, Jonas Vingegaard in his press conference said he feels ready to attack Pogacar and defeat him. The Dane is also certain he can win the Grande Boucle again, but Tadej Pogacar disagrees.

"I know for sure that Jonas can also be confident because he's in excellent form, as we saw in the last time trial and even the day after he was really flying. I know I must remain focused. I must continue to eat well, sleep well, and maintain the excellent mood we have in the group. We must keep motivation high and be confident for the last week because it will be really tough. We are ready to fight against everyone, especially against Jonas."

Pogacar also joked that he can no longer wear the white jersey for young riders and said that he misses that color, but is also happy to see it on talented young riders.

"I wore the white jersey for so long and now I really miss it. But I can also say that I've gained a lot of experience in this race."

The Slovenian champion is at his sixth Tour de France and now knows all the dynamics of the race.

"What are my capabilities? What is the competition, what can they do? I don't know, I just think I'm more mature. And yes, I'm still growing, because this is my sixth Tour and I continue to be at a high level. I have a lot of experience in the Tour, but I don't yet have all the experiences. We are learning every week, every day of the Tour and we'll see how far we can go. Right now I'm thinking only about the Tour, about the six years I've spent on these roads."

Pogacar's future plans are not yet known and his participation in the Vuelta is not yet entirely certain. Among the Slovenian's objectives is the World Championship in Rwanda, and regarding the Spanish race, we'll have to wait until the end of the Tour. "I'm focused on the Tour, so I'm not thinking about what will happen after. I know some guys are already planning a vacation after the Tour, but I have no plans because I don't know what I'll do. I think the decision about the Vuelta will be made after the Tour. Most likely it will be a choice made by me, we'll see if I won't be stressed for the rest of the season. Now I want to remain focused on the Tour and then, after a moment of relaxation, I can understand what I'll still be able to do."