"Everybody knows what to do today" - Tadej Pogacar and UAE ready for another key day at the Tour de France
CyclingSaturday, 18 July 2026 at 16:10
Stage 14 of the Tour de France is the first day of the race to feature climbing from start to finish, with long, steep ascents. Tadej Pogacar has a yellow jersey to defend, although he may even be the one attacking the brand-new Col du Haag, where the GC contenders will have another battle.
Memories of Le Markstein
It was in the Vosges that Pogacar conquered the Tour de France back in 2020, only a few kilometers away from today's roads on La Planche des Belles Filles. Hence, it is a region he has fond memories of, and a finale that he has a few stories on.
“The first memory was when I DNF'd in San Sebastian [in 2022] and went early to the bus to see Urška (Zigart, his partner, ed.) climb top 10 in the first Tour de France Femmes in the modern era," he said ahead of this Saturday's stage.
“So yeah, this is the first memory. And then the second, when I win in 2023 after a tough Tour". On that day, he won the final sprint against Vingegaard, losing the Tour de France's GC however wrapping up the race with a stage win.
"I win the stage there and, yeah, it was a really good finish of the bad Tour.”
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A clear plan
So far UAE's plan at the Tour has been quite clear. Whilst Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe lacks a collective to attack the race and Visma has been unable to do so, the whole of UAE has looked in peak conditions and have controlled all the stages with meaningful difficulties.
The stage into Le Markstein is no different, with several climbs to pace but several men ready to take up the task before Pogacar and Del Toro have a key test on the final climb of the day.
“It was a bit chaotic in the bus today, but good vibes, motivation is high, and I think everybody knows what to do today," the yellow jersey concluded.
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 truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth: Vingegaard has already ridden his best Tours. He's no longer a serious rival to Pogačar, and even less so in the years to come. Del Toro and Seixas are more likely contenders, and there will probably be others as well. But none of that changes the fact: once Pogi wins his eighth Tour, he'll retire. Everyone else will get their chance afterward.mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales18-07-2026
- The Visma plan is going in the right direction. Everything is according to plan, don't worry guys. Let's see that famous plan of Visma tomorrow, I can't wait and I'm sure DelToro and Pogačar can't wait either... LOL ...mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales18-07-2026
- No, Remco drifted off the back but then fought back and pushed to the line. He really is handling the long climbs better than I thought. On a mountain top finish though, Lippo is their man.Pedalmasher18-07-2026
- finally some selection. unfortunately, i could only watch it without sound. did lipo have to wait for remco AGAIN?Ketterechts18-07-2026
- Remco the slaveabstractengineer18-07-2026
- It must make Lance crazy to know he will never be anything other than a shit stain on cycling.Crashjames18-07-2026
- If they were smart, Visma would keep the bunch together as long as possible, letting the top 10 stay in the mix - let them attack and force tadej to burn up his men chasing the attacks.Crashjames18-07-2026
- I would like to see a Mathieu vs Mads showdown on stage 17, like we've had at Gent-Wevelgem. And then on stage 21 Pogačar can join in and why not Remco too.
Rafionain-Glas18-07-2026 - All valid points. Only problem is, everyone else looks more worn out (except Florian Lipowitz, who hasn't ridden to his fullest in order to protect cry-baby Remco's GC ambitions)Rafionain-Glas18-07-2026
- Armstrong is repulsive. The fact that he doped is bad enough but what really makes him a terrible person is how he attacked some really good people in cycling. Just ask Frankie and Betsy Andrew, Greg LeMond and Emma O'Reilly how he made their lives miserable so he could perpetuate his lie that he was clean. Those are just a few names on the list of people he bullied and/or went after with his lawyers to silence the truth. Even if he hadn’t doped, he is not someone I would ever want to know.
Rggg18-07-2026
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