Pogačar won the 9.4km Monaco stage and said he was watching the leaderboard hoping Tarling would hold: «When I was going to the start line I saw that Josh had the best time. I was really wishing he would win today.» That Tarling's rivals were rooting for him — openly, after the result — says as much about how the peloton read the moment as the finish time does. He also took the white jersey as the best-placed rider under 25, a detail that sits quietly alongside everything else.