“What can you do against Pogacar?” - Visma and Vingegaard's big problem pointed out by Armstrong and Wiggins after stage 3
Cycling
After stage 3 of the Tour de France, debate on The Move podcast reached an almost unanimous conclusion: Tadej Pogacar and UAE Team Emirates-XRG are dictating the race from day one, and Visma-Lease a Bike must find a different formula if it wants Jonas Vingegaard to mount a challenge.
Lance Armstrong, Bradley Wiggins, George Hincapie, and Spencer Martin analysed the world champion’s win, the Emirati squad’s dominance, and the increasingly decisive role of Isaac del Toro.
The episode’s headline question was blunt: how can Visma put Pogacar under pressure during this Tour? Yet as the conversation progressed, the analysts admitted the answer is anything but simple.
Bradley Wiggins was first to stress that modern cycling has changed completely compared with the era when he and Armstrong raced the Tour.
“It seems the norm now,” the Briton explained. “Tadej wants to bank as much time as possible in the first part of the race so he can ease off in week three.”
According to Wiggins, the contrast with previous generations is clear. Before, the big favourites spread their efforts across three weeks, whereas now UAE seizes every chance to win stages and build a buffer from the start.
Armstrong: “We have to ditch the old playbook”
Lance Armstrong fully agreed with that analysis and insisted that past reference points no longer explain how Pogacar races.
“I think we have to throw out the old playbook,” he said. “This is different.”
The American recalled that, in his racing years, a Tour-contending team would never have tried to control such a demanding break on stage 3 just to fight for the day’s win. However, he believes Pogacar has completely reframed how to read the race and is forcing the rest of the teams to adapt.
Jonas Vingegaard, came in second place
Del Toro keeps impressing
Although the win went to Pogacar, Isaac del Toro again occupied a large part of the debate.
Bradley Wiggins picked the Mexican as his “move of the day” for the huge turn he produced on the final climb.
“He pulled the group for at least 800 metres on the last ascent and still finished ninth, just four seconds behind Tadej,” he noted.
The Briton even went a step further, suggesting that without that effort for his leader, Del Toro could have fought for the win. George Hincapie also praised the Mexican, while Armstrong again underlined the massive impact he is having within the team.
“I’m going with Del Toro again,” he said. “It didn’t matter who was sitting behind. Only one rider could kick from that pace, and that was Pogacar.”
For Armstrong, the tempo the Mexican sets is starting to become a psychological problem for all their rivals.
An intimidating UAE
One of the most striking aspects of the analysis was the collective level of UAE Team Emirates-XRG. Armstrong believes the team projects a sense of superiority that goes beyond results.
“You look around and think: ‘What have you got?’. They’re firing on all cylinders from day three,” he said.
Hincapie shared that view and highlighted that, beyond Pogacar and Del Toro, riders like Brandon McNulty are delivering exceptional performances. McNulty was in fact chosen by Armstrong as the standout rider of the day after spending virtually the entire stage working on the front of the peloton.
Outstanding Tadej Pogacar at the 2026 Tour de France
How can Visma respond?
The crux of the debate centred on the strategy Visma-Lease a Bike should adopt. Bradley Wiggins believes the Dutch team needs to change the approach used in recent Tours.
“They’ve tried for several Tours to sit second overall and wait for something to happen,” he explained. “But what can you do against Pogacar if he doesn’t crash, get injured, or fall ill?”
For the Briton, merely waiting for the Slovenian to make mistakes no longer looks sufficient. However, Spencer Martin offered a different take. In his view, it might be a positive that UAE now has to shoulder the workload of controlling the race.
“Now UAE are attacking, chasing stage wins and the yellow jersey very early. Maybe that makes the race more interesting after day ten,” he noted.
Armstrong does not expect a peloton backlash
Another topic was whether UAE’s sustained dominance could trigger pushback from the rest of the teams.
Armstrong doesn’t think so: “I don’t think that creates enemies,” he said. “There’s a huge amount of respect for them in the peloton.”
He also highlighted the attitude of both Pogacar and Del Toro, whom he considers highly regarded riders within the bunch. According to the American, that mix of results and good rapport makes anti-UAE alliances even less likely to form.
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Vingegaard remains the big hope
Despite Pogacar’s show of strength, none of the panel declared the Tour settled. Armstrong pointed out that Jonas Vingegaard is still level on time with the Slovenian and that the major mountain stages are yet to come.
He believes the punchy finishes seen so far clearly suit Pogacar, whereas long climbs could level the contest. Wiggins added a technical angle to explain that difference.
“If Jonas really weighs 57 kilos, he may simply not be able to produce that initial Pogacar acceleration,” he explained.
The Briton thinks that disadvantage fades when the climbs stretch to an hour, terrain where Vingegaard has proven to be one of the world’s best climbers.
Isaac del Toro, UAE’s rising star
Remembering Del Toro’s masterclass
Inevitably, the conversation circled back to the Mexican. Armstrong recalled the day-old masterclass, when Del Toro suffered a mechanical, briefly rode against the direction to reach the team car, and still won the stage. “Del Toro was a minute and a half down, came back to the bunch and still won the stage,” he recalled. “These guys are on another level.”
For the team at The Move, that episode perfectly sums up the moment UAE Team Emirates-XRG are living. Pogacar remains the clear favourite to win the Tour de France, but alongside him has emerged a rider capable of reshaping any stage. And after three days of racing, Armstrong is convinced that Visma’s main headache is not only Pogacar. His name is also Isaac del Toro.
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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