Tour de France leader Primoš Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) finished the second day in yellow unscathed despite the tumultuous conditions that dominated stage 10 from start to finish, but the team's overriding goal of protecting its lead prevented teammate Wout Van Aert admitted that he was not able to aim for a third win.

After winning stages 5 and 7 in Prevas and Rabaul, respectively, Van Aert was not in contention for victory on the opening stage of the Tour's second week, finishing 37th.

However, in a crash-filled 168-km dash along the west coast of France, Jumbo Visma went all out to win the yellow jersey.

"A stressful stage like today was a big challenge," said Visma. He had a lot of work to do."

He quickly added that he was very grateful for the team's efforts to defend the maillot jaune.

"I'm wearing the yellow jersey, but it belongs to all of us, and we're all part of it," Roglic said.

As for how he came to be in a position to lead the Tour, it was pointed out to Roglic on Tuesday that the time bonus has taken away all of his current 21-second advantage over Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers).

The Slovenian agreed when asked about his deliberate strategy of maximizing bonuses in mountain stages, such as the Pyrenean mountain crossings and finishes, in order to separate his rivals, as well as the winner, Orsier Merlette.

"Definitely. I wanted to get as many miles in as possible."

Since gaining time in the mountains, the COVID-19 issue has roared up as a daily topic of conversation in the Tour, as has Van Aert, when asked about the reaction to riders who did not test positive for the coronavirus test, Roglic, replied that his focus was on the yellow

.

"To be honest, I didn't really think about that. We're healthy, we're racing hard, we're very happy that the race is going on, and as for the "director," or Tour boss Christian Prudhomme, who tested positive for COVID-19, "I just wish him a good recovery."

After Tuesday's grueling stage, Roglic heads east to Poitiers on Wednesday for an equally flat, equally fast stage. Depending on tomorrow's developments, stage 10 may prove to be a tougher test, with exposed roads along the coast, incessant roadfurnishings, and a peloton of nerves that will have the peloton's nerves on edge.

In any case, the furious start and even faster conclusion of stage 10 was "hard, nerve-wracking, and stressful.

"It was pretty tough. But everything went perfectly, the team managed it well and we did a really good job.

During the two weeks last year when he took first place at the Vuelta a España, he dug deep into his endless collection of mantras and stuck to a maximum of three questions at the post-race press conference.

Roglic concluded by saying, " I always say that as long as you are healthy and well, a lot of things are possible."