Pogačar saw his overall lead reduced to 4’04” following a brilliant performance from Guillaume Martin in Stage 14, with the Cofidis rider moving up seven spots in the process.
The Frenchman finished 5 minutes and 25 second ahead of the peloton, as Trek-Segafredo’s Bauke Mollema took the win with a surprise attack on the descent with 47 kilometres remaining.
Carapaz finished 6’53” adrift of Mollema in the ride from Carcassonne to Quillan, but believes Stage 15 represents the perfect opportunity for him to make amends and move up from fifth in the GC rankings.
“It’s (been) a very aggressive Tour, we’re going fast every day,” the Ineos-Grenadiers star said.
“This kind of aggressive racing is actually similar to how I used to race back in Ecuador in lower categories, where the strongest rider always wins.”
“There’s going to be the question of altitude and the question of heat,” he added.
“But I’m used to altitude, so I won’t have a problem with that.
“I’ve been training in different places in these kinds of different temperatures, to try and get used to them so my body won’t have a problem with that… (it should be) very favourable for my interests.”
Despite the Ecuadorian’s confidence, it is Jonas Vingegaard who many believe is the man most likely to chip away at Pogačar’s significant advantage.
Stepping up to lead Jumbo-Visma in the absence of Primoz Roglic, Vingegaard has already caught the eye of his newfound Slovenian rival, having attacked and dropped the defending champion two kilometres from the top of Mont Ventoux.
The 24-year-old is currently fourth in the GC battle, with 5’32” separating him from the top before the tough trek over Montee de Mont-Louis, Col de Puymorens, Port d’Envalira and Col de Beixalis.
With high temperatures known to affect Pogačar, Vingegaard understands he will have to handle the heat if he is to overcome the likes of Ben O’Connor (AG2R-Citroen), Rigoberto Uran (EF Education-Nippo) and Martin en route to the finish in Andorra La Vella.
“I still feel quite good, it’s going to be really warm from now on, I think, and that will make some changes,” Vingegaard said.
“I think tomorrow is going to be one of the hardest stages of the Tour, we’ll see how I feel.
“I’m going to do my best. I’ll do everything I can.”
The Tour de France continues tonight with Stage 15 and you can catch all the action on SBS and SBS On Demand at 8:30pm (AEST), with the SKODA Tour Tracker app commencing from 8:10pm (AEST).
