Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) and Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) finished together in Turin, respectively 38th and 40th, with Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) behind in the mass bunch in 68th place, preferring to avoid sprinting to the line and fighting for placings on stage 3 of the Tour de France. The campaign allowed Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) to finish ahead of them and so take the yellow jersey thanks to better-accumulated stage placings.
The stage was disrupted by a crash with 2.2km to go and so Pogačar, Evenepoel and Vingegaard could calmly ride to the finish in central Turin, knowing they would be given the same time as stage winner Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty).
They put safety before fighting for the yellow jersey and remained on the same time but Carapaz wears the yellow jersey.
Their major rivals such as Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), the Ineos Grenadiers trio of Carlos Rodriguez, Egan Bernal and Tom Pidcock, and others, all finished in the main group and remained at 21 seconds.
Pogačar and his UAE Team Emirates squad had made it clear that defending the yellow jersey so early in the Tour de France was not a priority, with his overall battle with Vingegaard, and ultimately overall victory, shaping their three-week race strategy.
It was a moment of amnesty before Tuesday's fourth stage over the Col du Galibier to Valloire. Pogačar and Evenepoel seemed happy to let Carapaz take over the yellow jersey, so that his EF Education-EasyPost squad would have to defend it during the intense 139.6km stage.
Losing the yellow jersey meant that Pogačar no longer had any post-stage podium and media obligations, and so was able to disappear onto the UAE Team Emirates team bus and quickly begin his recovery.
Evenepoel kept the best young rider’s white jersey but it seemed not to have the weight of the yellow jersey on his shoulders before the first mountain stage of the 2024 Tour de France.
“I didn't have to do anything today," he told the Belgian media at the finish. "I wanted to come in at ease, well, figuratively speaking. That was a success. The mission of the day was a success.
"I didn't think about yellow. I finished without any injuries and hopefully it will stay that way. Others have fallen seriously and that's not nice to see."
Evenepoel was initially not aware that crashes had indirectly affected him despite his caution. Young teammate Casper Pedersen crashed at speed with 15 kilometres to go and the Dane suffered a collarbone fracture that forced him to abandon the Tour despite finishing the stage.
Evenepoel is focused on stage 4, when attacks over the Galibier could spark significant time gaps between the overall contenders.
“It’s important but it is not the most important day of the Tour. It will not be the most difficult stage,” he said, playing a long game.
"There may be differences, but not the biggest differences. We have to be ready for war and then we will see what can come out of it.
“We're just going to try to follow and not waste time. If there is a battle for victory, I will try to participate, but it could well be that the breakaway wins again.”
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