Alberto Contador's former teammate, on the difficulty of what Lance Armstrong did in the Tour de France: "That's why I give so much value to what Lance did. As much as it was said, to win seven in a row..."
Cycling
EOLO-KOMETA's sports director, Jesús Hernández, known for having been a gregario of the iconic Alberto Contador, has shared his thoughts on the keys to success in the Tour de France in the Marca newspaper. Hernández highlights the importance of having a solid team, a winning mentality and a dose of luck to take victory in this legendary competition.
"The Tour man has to have everything. He can be good, but if he doesn't have equipment or a good mentality... he doesn't win. The one who wins is the one who has all the qualities and, in addition, is lucky," Hernandez emphasizes. His words highlight the complexity of winning the Tour and how factors in addition to mere physical strength play a crucial role in achieving victory.
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In this regard, Hernandez points out that the rider who dominates the competition must possess a perfect combination of skills and characteristics. We have often seen situations where the strongest rider fails to win the yellow jersey. It is necessary to have all the necessary qualities and, at the same time, to have that bit of luck that can make the difference.
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The sports director compares the luck of winning the Tour to that of winning the Euromillón, emphasizing that all the carambolas must align in favor of the cyclist to achieve success. Hernández mentions riders such as Contador, Sastre and Pereiro, who, he says, have not been sufficiently valued despite having all the necessary characteristics to win the race.
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Hernández also reflects on the future of cycling and mentions promising young riders such as Carlos Rodríguez or Juan Ayuso, who could inherit the legacy of the great champions. However, he stresses the importance of luck in not meeting exceptional riders like Tadej Pogacar. An example of this is what happened with Primoz Roglic, who, despite having all the necessary qualities, was deprived of the triumph due to circumstances.
In this context, Jesús Hernández especially values the achievements of Lance Armstrong and Miguel Indurain, two riders who were able to dominate the competition for several consecutive years without anything standing in their way of victory. Hernández recognizes Armstrong's merit in winning seven consecutive Tours de France, overcoming all the adverse circumstances that arose. Similarly, he highlights Indurain's ability to align the stars in his favor and triumph in the race for five consecutive years.
In conclusion, Jesús Hernández's words reveal that winning the Tour de France goes beyond mere talent and physical strength. It requires a solid team, a winning mentality and, of course, a dose of luck. Through the examples of Lance Armstrong and Miguel Indurain, Hernandez highlights how these riders were able to overcome all circumstances and dominate the competition for several consecutive years. The future of cycling is in the hands of the new generations, who will have to bring together all these qualities and hope that the stars align in their favor in their quest to conquer the coveted yellow jersey of the Tour de France.
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Juan LarraCycling Journalist
Juan Larra is a writer for Cyclinguptodate and editor-in-chief of Ciclismoaldia, where he has played a central role since its inception. Under his leadership, the website has become a trusted source for professional cycling coverage, offering in-depth analysis, news, and feature stories.
A sports journalist with over 20 years of experience, Juan earned his degree in Journalism from the University of Seville in 2007. He began his career covering a wide range of sports—including football, basketball, Formula 1, MotoGP, tennis, and cycling—for platforms such as the official La Liga app, Vodafone and Movistar websites, NBA Blogdebasket, and Cadena Cope, honing his skills in writing and editorial management.
In addition to his work at Ciclismoaldia, Juan contributes to Cyclinguptodate and serves as editor-in-chief for the tennis-focused site Tenisaldia. Throughout his career, he has conducted exclusive interviews with cyclists and sports figures, provided detailed analysis of competitions ranging from local Spanish races to major international events, and acted as a special correspondent at prestigious races including Paris-Roubaix, the Tour de France, and the Vuelta a España.
Juan’s combination of experience, expertise, and direct access to athletes has established him—and the platforms he leads—as authoritative voices in professional cycling.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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Lance Armstrong y su polémica opinión sobre los deportistas trans: "Es algo muy simple: queréis hacer la transición, hacedla. Tened vuestra categoría propia" #TDF2023 ciclismoaldia.es/ciclismo/lance…
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