He finished one minute behind Pogacar to limit the overall damage to his standings.
"It's not the start we expected in the Tour, but Cian can count on the support of all his teammates and staff in these difficult days," Movistar stated.
Sepp Kuss, the primary lieutenant for Vingegaard, expressed satisfaction with his developing form. "I feel good, my form is starting to come.
It's still early in the race, my part is yet to come," Kuss said.
Alex Baudin secured the polka dot jersey after a hard-fought performance. The white jersey remained with 22-year-old Isaac Del Toro, who won the previous stage.
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In a separate event in Romania, riders Lorenzo Finn and Byron Munton encountered a bear crossing the road on the final climb of the Sibiu Tour, but the incident ended without injury.
