"For sure, he’s a contender" - Tadej Pogacar sees in Tom Pidcock a new rival at the Tour de France

Cycling
Friday, 17 July 2026 at 19:07
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The Tour de France can be decided on the hardest days, but also on some that look less difficult. Although Tadej Pogacar didn't have to move and wasn't tested during today's 13th stage, the average speed of almost 50Km/h will in his opinion continue to build fatigue in everyone in the race, something which can influence the weekend's racing. The yellow jersey also commented on Tom Pidcock's rise in the overall classification.

Tom Pidcock enters GC mix 

Asked about the Briton, Pogacar was brief but direct. “For sure, he’s a contender but I hope he spent a bit of energy today. We will see tomorrow how he responds after a big day today," Pogacar shared in words to France TV.
Pidcock is one of the few riders that has been able to race with Pogacar over the past seasons, most notably the 2025 edition of Strade Bianche where the two stood out from the field. He gained 7:30 minutes today on the road and entered the fight for podium, something that is notable for the UAE Team Emirates - XRG rider who at one point had Pidcock provisionally as the rider closest to him.
Tadej Pogacar on Stage 10 of the 2026 Tour de France
Tadej Pogacar continues to lead the Tour de France 

Another high-speed day for Pogacar 

The peloton rode an incredibly fast first hour of the race, and this continued. Stage 12 was the fastest road stage in the Tour's entire history, and today was close - despite the two climbs that were tackled in the Vosges.
"Tomorrow there will be a lot of tired legs, not just for the riders who were in the break but also from the peloton," he assures.
“It was a super hard. It was a flying day, almost 50k/h. It was a really hard day. We knew from the beginning that it would be difficult, but we managed it quite well.”
UAE had both Brandon McNulty and Tim Wellens in the breakaway which helped close the gap to Lidl-Trek in the team's classification, however the duo weren't able to succeed in bringing a stage win to the team.
This Saturday on stage 14, Pogacar will be tested once again as the race heads deep into the Vosges for a day filled with climbs from start to finish, for the first time in this Tour de France.
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