Tadej Pogačar , the current yellow jersey at the Tour de France, has firmly rejected accusations of arrogance leveled at Team UAE Emirates-XRG, following the incident involving his teammate Nils Politt during stage 16.

The controversy arose when Politt was seen scolding some riders who were attempting to reach the breakaway in the early stages of the stage. The German rider has already clarified his position, explaining that he was merely enforcing the unwritten rule prohibiting attacks when the yellow jersey stops for physiological needs.

"Arrogance is one thing, trying to win the Tour de France is another," Pogačar said during the post-stage 17 press conference. "We're trying to stay calm, but we have to control every single kilometer of this race. We don't want to be arrogant, we just want to make our race as easy as possible."

The Slovenian, currently holding a 4:15 lead over Jonas Vingegaard, is now preparing to tackle the queen stage, finishing on the Col de la Loze, a 26.4-kilometer climb that could prove decisive for the Tour's outcome. "It's the queen stage, I can't wait. I hope to have good legs and get my revenge on the same legs I did two years ago," commented the general classification leader.

Despite the adverse weather forecast for the coming days in the Alps, Pogačar expressed confidence, recalling how he has previously demonstrated his ability to thrive in the most challenging weather conditions. With 50 days in the yellow jersey already under his belt, just two shy of Jacques Anquetil's record, the Slovenian champion is determined to achieve his goal: "The only goal is yellow."