"Armstrong is the last thing Pogacar is thinking about" - Alberto Contador weighs in on Tour de France record claims
CyclingTuesday, 25 August 2026 at 12:06
Tadej Pogacar now officially matches the Tour de France victory record together with several other historic figures in cycling. Lance Armstrong has argued in the past that Pogacar knows what the 'real record' is, whilst Alberto Contador assures that the World Champion does not hold that opinion to a high standard.
Lance Armstrong's claim
Cycling in the past has experienced massive problems with doping, with many of the sport's leading figures getting suspended throughout their career, and entire Grand Tour titles being removed from some of its winners.
Most notable was the removal of Lance Armstrong's seven Tour de France title, conquered between 1999 and 2005. This happened in 2012 after USADA concluded that he led a systemic doping program within the American US Postal team.
The victory record has then become five, held by Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Induráin. This summer, Tadej Pogacar has achieved the same, winning the past three editions as well as in 2020 and 2021.
In a recent episode of the The Move podcast, Armstrong claimed the following: “We have to read everywhere that Pogacar has equaled the all-time record and is joining that select club. But guess what? He doesn't even believe that himself".
"Not at all. He knows what the record is. It will take him even longer. By the way, I hope he succeeds. I am an athlete too. I play the game. All records can be broken, and this one is allowed to be broken as well.”
But does Pogacar actually give such a statement any value?
Alberto Contador and Lance Armstrong on the podium of the 2009 Tour de France
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Alberto Contador believes Armstrong's claim holds no value to Pogacar
Former teammate of Armstrong, Alberto Contador, does not believe that is the case. In 2009, when Armstrong made his return to pro cycling with Astana, he teamed up with 2007 winner Contador.
On the roads of the Tour, the Spaniard proved to be the strongest, whilst the internal battle was very notable between the two. Contador, during the broadcast of stage 3 of the Vuelta a España on Eurosport, shared his opinion on the topic.
"Do I think that secretly motivates him? I think Armstrong is the last thing Pogacar is thinking about," he stated.
"He is thinking about the next race and that he is going to try to win. He has many chances with the Vuelta, the World Championships, and Lombardy. Next year he will continue winning Monuments and Grand Tours. I don't think he attaches any value to Lance Armstrong's opinion".
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- The Vuelta is an amateur race in every sense, compared to the Tour or Giro, in terms of organization, safety or journalism. The Spanish journalists ask Pogi questions in Spanish and he has a translater beside him??? WTF, if a journalist from any country doesn,'t understand or speak english, the No.1 language in the world (like it or not) than don't be a journalist, be a cook or a teacher or something. As for the canine hyperventilating bytch, I have no comment.PogiSloFans25-08-2026
- no kidding, great call.mij25-08-2026
- sprinters don’t count - what a comment. tell that to a sprinter. they get the majority of the wins throughout the year. who doesn’t watch much cycling? there is more to racing than GTs.mij25-08-2026
- You're BOZO the CLOWN ! That was to easy!frieders325-08-2026
- anytime a very dominant rider is someone willing to take on a leadership role on behalf of the peloton, he’s referred to as a patron. just being the best rider, even by a wide margin, isn’t enough. it has to be someone with a personality that is strong and assertive enough to LEAD. hinault, definitely. armstrong was a patron. everybody hated him and he hated them right back, but he was definitely a leader/tyrant/patron. indurain was a beast and everyone liked him, but NOT a patron.OCexile25-08-2026
- What about Almeida? I know he barely competed this year. His time trial was the best of the rest. For a guy who lack a little on technique showed a lot of power. I'll count on him.
PAULO25-08-2026 - I'm glad no one got hurt. That was wild.DAS24-08-2026
- What's the name they used to call Hinault when he controlled the peloton? The patron? I don't think this is the same thing. Watching that was just crazy.RidesHills24-08-2026
- Did you? Try to be logical. Cycling fans are unlikely to (have) watch(ed) but then they were not the intended audience because they were ALREADY captive. Anyone else had little idea what to expect and was already watching by the time it was too late to realise they might have preferred not to, although, knowing what is popular these days, I doubt many actually reflect or care but just end up continuing to watch. I expect that 10000 will start rising now as anything or discussed tends to do. I can also assure you from observing roadside crowds on climbs that there are huge numbers of spectators who are not actually cycling fans, they just wanna part of it when the circus comes to town. In fact, even in France, the majority along the way are more interested in the caravan than the race and may know 15 riders at best, mostly French.Jumpyjohn24-08-2026
- Tomorrow is clearly a stage to stamp a win to this year's race. Pogi can realistically get a strong foundation lead and it very well could carry all the way to the end. Look what happened at the Tour when he hammered the race early and then almost got to coast to the win. Keep in mind that the riders in this race aren't the caliber of the TDF so...he could have an even better lead.md197524-08-2026
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