Upside Down

Before the time trial, I thought I was going to finish second and I was happy with that result and the best young rider jersey.  The night before, in the parking lot, I’d watched the mechanics prepare a special white bike for me to arrive on the Champs-Élysées.  But then the time trial turned everything in my life upside down, and everything is still upside down inside me.

I think the secret of my success is that I started without believing for a single moment that I could win.  I was free spirit, I didn’t even have a power meter.

-- Tadej Pogačar (21 September 1998 -), winner of the 2020 Tour de France in a surprise, penultimate stage upset, overcoming a 57-second deficit to win by 59 seconds.  In addition to winning the overall Yellow jersey in his debut Tour, he also won the Polka Dot jersey for King of the Mountains, and the White jersey for Best Young Rider as the youngest victor since 1904, in an interview with L'Equipe, via cyclingnews.com, 20 September 2020