CyclingUpToDate Podcast: "It doesn't seem like he gets any weaker" - The analysis of the new Pogacar-Vingegaard battle
CyclingSaturday, 11 July 2026 at 14:00
The first stages of the Tour de France have delivered a lot of GC action, with all the big names on top. Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard have clashed on the Col du Tourmalet, and on the most recent episode of the CyclingUpToDate Podcast, Rúben Silva and Carlos Silva have discussed the battle between the two teams.
Visma won the TTT, but did it mean much?
The opening stage of the race saw a team time trial in Barcelona, finishing with a hilly sequence and having Jonas Vingegaard take the first yellow jersey of the race for Team Visma | Lease a Bike.
But the format, with each rider having his own individual time, is not to the liking of everyone. "I think they won because the organization proposed a new kind of team time trial. To be honest, I don't like this kind of change, it's not a team effort. It's seven guys' effort to one guy finishing the job," Carlos Silva argued.
Whilst traditionally TTT's would take the team's fourth rider's time, it has now been made individual, for some eliminating the purpose of it being a team time trial. "I think that this format leads to more excitement, but it's not necessary. It would be so much more complex to plan out if we actually have to finish with four riders at the same time," Rúben Silva argued.
"Because they would have to put Vingegaard, in this case, for example, working a lot more early on. They would have to save riders like Piganzoli or Jorgenson or Campenaerts. They would have to do a lot more planning, they would have to do a lot more coordination".
But this is ultimately a modern trend that looks set to stay, specially with the fight for the yellow jersey coming down to the Tour's absolute favourites on day 1 providing a lot of spectacle. "What they want to see is the big guys all coming to the front. and fighting for the stage win between themselves".
"This is like, who's going to take the yellow jersey? It's Vingegaard or Pogacar. It's not the rider who happened to pass at the front. And the organizers are always going to want the big names on the screen, they're going to want the big guys to take the yellow jersey. So, I think at the end, they're going to more and more continue putting this format".
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Stage 2
The following day in Barcelona, the brutal heat was striking the slopes of the Montjuic, and on the final circuit there were interesting tactics at play. "I think nobody wanted to burn themselves on Montjuic [...] UAE wants to win the stage, but I don't think they want to be in yellow at the end of the day, because they know they have other stages to pick up the yellow with Pogacar," Carlos Silva argued. "So, it's not a surprise for me to see Isaac Del Toro win".
It looked like UAE was at first looking to set up an attack, but then it became clear that this was not the goal. "When you see [Brandon] McNulty at the front you know that the goal was not to make the race hard, that is obvious because the team didn't attack".
The final ascent went by without a decisive attack and it was in the descent that the fight for the stage win truly ignited. Mattias Skjelmose gave it a go, but it was Isaac del Toro's descending and final sprint to the line that truly impressed.
"If you ask me if Pogacar can win: Yeah, he can. He looked very strong, but he wanted to gift del Toro. I think if Pogacar wanted to attack on Montjuic he could do it and it also seems that he might have been able to make the difference. But it's not what he wanted, Pogacar didn't want it".
Tadej Pogacar was a happy man in Barcelona, helping his teammate achieving the win whilst controlling their rivals from behind. UAE executed a plan to perfection, Rúben Silva believes:
"To me, I look at it - UAE wanted to win with Del Toro. How do you win with Del Toro? Well, it's not going to be with attacking because he wouldn't drop Vingegaard or Evenepoel. They could take it to a sprint; They could make him have a gap in the descent... Well, that's exactly what they did".
"That's how they pulled it off. More than just wanting to do that, it's really just being able to do that, because everyone can make a plan but executing a plan is hard - In professional cycling, especially. It's really hard, Del Toro had the legs to beat Vingegaard and Evenepoel in that finale".
It was a day that put Del Toro on the map, and also showed that UAE was not using him as a mere domestique at this Tour, but a rider with very real ambitions of his own. "Above all, that very quickly cemented him as an 'he's here to fight for the podium as well'."
"UAE have him here to support Pogacar, but he's definitely not seen as a domestique. No, UAE want him on the podium, on the white jersey maybe. And Pogacar personally wanted to also help him win, it was very important for the team dynamic it seems. It seems like Pogacar wants to help his teammates win and really gather that team spirit".
Isaac del Toro's win in Barcelona was one of the Tour's striking images thus far
Stage 3
The next day to Les Angles, Visma controlled the initial breakaway and then UAE Team Emirates - XRG worked to bring it back and lead the race into another uphill sprint. "UAE just paced all the way to the climb. It wasn't really a climb where he could make a lot of differences, but Del Toro on that day repaid the favour," Rúben Silva argued.
"He did the lead out for Pogacar, it was perfect, Pogacar just sprinted the victory, there were barely any tactics in there. That was the day where Pogacar put his foot down. He was like 'I'm here to win. Yesterday I was nice... But I have better legs than everyone around here".
On that day the World Champion moved into the yellow jersey, which he would then hand out to Torstein Traeen the following day with the breakaway succeeding and UAE not putting on a meaningful chase.
Pogacar and Del Toro with the yellow and white jerseys at the Tour
Stage 5
However the next day, UAE attacked hard. All team members worked towards the attack of Tadej Pogacar on the Col du Tourmalet, something he executed to perfection as well. The World Champion got 30 seconds on the climb, but the 2:38 minutes he got on Jonas Vingegaard by the time the riders reached the finish line was enough to put him back in a familiar position.
"I got the feeling that Vingegaard was close. He was obviously a level below, but 30 seconds on a climb like that is a lot. It's not a lot, not super dramatic," Rúben Silva argued. "But there's a difference between the two. Pogacar can descend much better. And he just has the endurance, He has the ability to go all out on a climb, take another climb and go all out again, and he just keeps going and going and it doesn't seem like he gets any weaker".
It was a tough hit when it comes to the fight for the win, whilst the fight for the podium remained very much alive. "We see Jonas Vingegaard finishing the stage with his head down, like he was completely defeated you know," Carlos Silva pointed out.
"And that's the hardest part to see on Jonas Vingegaard. In other years you see Pogacar beating Vingegaard or Vingegaard beating Pogacar and you never see one of them with the head down. It's a strong image we get from yesterday's stage. It's like if he threw the towel to the floor and says 'okay he won, I'm in second place... Let's go, now I'm going to enjoy the race, I'm not going to fight for the GC win".
And when it comes to UAE, it became apparent that their ambitions don't only lie in grabbing the yellow jersey with Pogacar. "Emirates is going to try to put Isaac Del Toro on second place in my opinion. They are going to try to one-two the GC".
Tadej Pogacar arrived to Gavarnie with over 2:30 minutes over Jonas Vingegaard on stage 6
Isaac del Toro's influence
The Mexican has without a doubt been one of the headliners in the race so far, something he is achieving after his overall win at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. A stage win, the white jersey and a third position overall is how he left the first block of difficult stages.
"I think that people used to underestimate Del Toro," Rúben Silva believes. "They would say 'he's good, he's a good climber, he's good all around, but he's not a great climber'. Which I never really agreed with, because last year at the Giro he almost won. He climbed the Colle delle Finestre with Carapaz, with Simon Yates close, and that's maybe one of the hardest climbs you can do in pro cycling".
"I think that Del Toro is not a surprise, I think that his talent already came through but the level that he's showing... Most of all it's a barrier for everyone else. Because if anyone wants to attack Pogacar they're just going to look at him and behind is Del Toro, and they're like 'Pogacar may not even have to follow, he just puts Del Toro to work'. And no one's going anywhere".
Most likely, UAE will look to protect Del Toro's pursuit of the podium and white jersey whilst Pogacar should have the ability to cover attacks throughout the race as he wishes.
Jonas Vingegaard struggled to limit the losses on what has been the decisive stage of the race so far
Can Pogacar actually lose the Tour de France?
And although the Tour is only now entering stage 8, it seems dire for Pogacar's rivals if there is still the intention to win the Tour de France. UAE looks to be in perfect control of their competitors so far.
"They aren't going to ask Del Toro to sacrifice himself for Pogacar. Also because Pogacar is the one in charge, he is the one making a lot of calls. Often it's him not the team, and he wants Del Toro to finish high".
When it comes to Jonas Vingegaard, who entered the Tour with the goal to win, the task at hand truly is complicated. "And I think Vingegaard's goal of winning the Tour is as hard as it was last year," Rúben Silva argued.
"And yeah I think more than trying to defend the second place.. Be consistent, because the only way that they or any of the other riders are going to win the Tour, realistically, is if Pogacar has a really bad day or crashes, or gets ill, or something else happens..."
How do you truly win the Tour de France against a Pogacar at his current level? A difficult question, one that is perhaps more dictated by the Slovenian's form and health, rather than that of his rivals.
"Maybe Vingegaard is best off just trying to keep the gap, just trying to keep the race calm or not do something that may lead for the gap to grow at this point so that - You take stage 20 for example, where they go up the Galibier. That is brutal, and if you have a bad day on that stage, you can easily lose 5-10 minutes. And we've seen that before".
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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- I suppose you can show why the studies on athlete fueling are actually BS, right?acem8211-07-2026
- the official narrative is "nutrition" when it comes to explaining the difference in levels from year to year. every single rider points to nutrition. In armstrong's era it was cadence, work ethic and equipment. froome and co. actually got caught but used MUE's. the truth will come out with all of these guys.whkman11-07-2026
- It’s a long race - lots can happenCrashjames11-07-2026
- Projection - “if I was JV, I’d probably climb off” - but, Wiggins, you aren’t even in the same league as JV.Crashjames11-07-2026
- There should be a survey of TV ratings as well as the size of crowds at cycling events, ever since Pogacar burst onto the scene - especially for those races in which he is participating. That would give you the correct picture.Cooldude11-07-2026
- There's a reason why he's a champion and they're not. Hate him or not he's racing to win or get damn near close instead or trying just to settle for 3rdbruins3011-07-2026
- In retrospect he (and the chasing group) might have minimised the gap if they'd worked together right after the descent. Visma had planned to place Jorgensen ahead there to pull Jonas, so at the start of the day he had been expecting help there. Then he could have ridden away in the last kilometres.Hills3311-07-2026
- At last we see the name of the great MVDP mentioned in the news.. How can this guy perform when he himself says he finds it boring? He already knows he can't win before the race even started. So disappointing, for someone who's always in the conversation when talking about great cyclists. Good advice though.. great riders race to win, or stay at home.. For me, he's very good.. but is somewhat like a spoiled brat (rides around in a Lambo, flies to races in his own jet..) Just kidding.. he's okay..FredMan11-07-2026
- Reduced to doing anything to attract attention. How the mighty have fallen.Renz11-07-2026
- Not sure how he'd have "gotten in the way" of the sprint and then ended up 9 seconds back, but it's not impossible, I guess.acem8211-07-2026
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