"Even if we had ridden, we wouldn’t have caught him" - Is the Tour de Suisse peloton helpless against Tadej Pogacar?
Cycling
Stage 1 of the Tour de Suisse was Tadej Pogacar's first race day since Liège-Bastogne-Liège, but the outcome was not different. The World Champion took a stage win that was based on an unplanned attack, which the peloton could not close down. Tiesj Benoot talked about the day, from the perspective of someone who was in the direct chasing group.
The peloton was split on the 10% Buglio al Monte climb, and then an intermediate sprint shortly after triggered a move at the front. Pogacar, Brandon McNulty and Matthew Riccitello had a gap over the rest of the field. “When my teammates dug super deep, I felt I was having a good day," Benoot said in words to Het Laatste Nieuws. But with his teammate up front, Benoot gave a clear indication to stay in the wheel. Easier said than done...
“So I said to Matthew Riccitello: Make sure you’re with him. If he could follow for a long time, it would be a good situation. However, it didn’t last long," the veteran explained.
He later joined Riccitello and the two were part of a small chasig group. Whilst the riders continued climbing, the chasing group was being led by Lidl-Trek's Andrea Bagioli and the gaps stabilized. As the profile flattened out, these extended as there was no cooperation.
Tadej Pogacar right after his attack on stage 1 of the 2026 Tour de Suisse
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That is somewhat similar to what has been seen in other races, where the chasers accept there is little or nothing that could be done against the Slovenian, and begin their own competition for second place.
Benoot's statement includes words of acceptance over this race situation. “I was the only one weighing over 70 kilograms in the group. But even if we had ridden, we wouldn’t have caught him, you know." he adds. "It is difficult to race when someone stands so far above the rest.”
It was a brutal day on the bike, with Richard Carapaz and Bagioli emerging from the chasing group as the strongest. Behind, on the final ascents some gaps were formed, with neither Benoot or Riccitello making it in the main one. Nevertheless, many of the GC contenders were thrown out of contention on this stage, and the American's chances of finishing on the final podium have increased exponentially.
Benoot on his part was 17th on the stage, showing good form in what was his debut this season. The Belgian has suffered from an hernia earlier in the year which kept him away from racing all the way until June. Despite this, it is still very much his plan to be part of the Tour de France lineup, and this performance comes as a positive sign.
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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- 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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