As Bob Dylan famously sang "Things have changed." Will we see Egan as a super-dom for Richie at the 2021 Tour?
Not surprisingly, Richie has confirmed that this third place (fantastic) achievement is pretty much career defining for him. Personally I have long felt that at his best he is at least the equal of Cadel as a climber, so it is wonderful that he has now been able to put it all together for this podium result.
He says that he doesn't want the stress anymore with GT leadership, which is fair enough. But I think that in time, he may feel that this podium result actually takes some of that pressure off. For me, if he goes to Inneos next season, then he should do his job, and ride solely as domestique for Egan at the Tour. But what I hope for is this: That after having gotten to soft pedal through some of those three weeks, that he then goes to the Vuelta as at least a co-leader. Though that idea is still dependant on him having strong enough legs at 36 years of age. Still, the Vuelta generally has lower level of competition, and most definitely less pressure.