“For Tadej Pogacar, this is the worst possible scenario" - Tyler Hamilton claims 'balance has shifted' in Jonas Vingegaard's favour at 2025 Tour de France
Cycling
Tadej Pogacar has looked his typically supreme self so far at the 2025 Tour de France, expertly handling anything and everything thrown at him by Team Visma | Lease a Bike and Jonas Vingegaard. In the opinion of American ex-pro Tyler Hamilton however, that balance might now have shifted.
The reason? The abandonment of João Almeida through injury on stage 9. “It’s undoubtedly shifted the balance of power. Losing Almeida is a huge, huge blow for UAE," analyses the now 54-year-old former Tour de France stage winner in his coverage of the 2025 edition for Danish media TV2. “With Almeida, I’d say the teams were fairly evenly matched. But now Visma have the advantage. It’s up to them to decide how to make use of that upper hand."
On stage 10 this Monday afternoon, the Tour de France heads into the high mountains for the first time. Hamilton believes Almeida will very quickly prove a big miss for the Maillot Jaune. "For Pogacar, this is the worst possible scenario — aside from crashing himself," he says. "He’s lost his right-hand man, and now there’ll be enormous pressure on Adam Yates. It’s a real shame for them, but that’s part of cycling. The balance has shifted.”
Hamilton also notes how Pogacar seemed a little down when discussion Almeida's exit to the media after stage 9. "I listened to Pogacar’s interview after the stage, and of course, he was very upset. Naturally, it’s a huge blow to lose Almeida," says Hamilton. "I could hear in his voice that he was really affected — it’s a serious setback for his team."
And as for stage 10, Hamilton predicts UAE Team Emirates - XRG will not look to control things as they maybe would have otherwise. “They might let a breakaway go and hand the jersey to someone they know they can reel back in during the high mountains. I could definitely see that happening,” the expert concludes.
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Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- The road from Holyrood to Edinburgh Castle is a nice steady climb of just over a mile that is cobbled in many parts. (Very slippery if wet!) If the teams are going by one by one that will give fans an even better view of the riders up close than the castle esplanade.Cyclingsbestfan07-11-2026
- wtf dudemij07-11-2026
- big rival … ridiculous.Ketterechts07-11-2026
- It would be great if the World Champion's jersey could be rotated among McNulty, Simmons, and Jorgenson. They threaded the needle perfectly. If each hadn't done exactly what he did, exactly when he did it, the race would have gone to one of the more heralded superstars. That said, how nice that this humble and hardworking guy gets his moment in the sun.
MarkFour07-11-2026 - This is a really interesting idea, which, if well prepared could even be very successful. Very little money needs to be involved for a first season and any success could lead to rapid interest from sponsors.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Hmmm, you seem to have a very convenient black and white view of things. Perhaps you haven’t been around much to discover how complex problems can become over time with people who know how to control, manipulate (or worse) others so gradually or subtly that you arrive at an irresolvable situation before you realise. This is how many inconveniences get introduced to the young, naïve, passionate or “desperate”, knowing they are not armed, protected or strong enough to defend themselves once it’s too late. Why do you think omerta culture is so widespread, why do you think so many people continue to go through so many awful things in life that others can’t understand anyone getting into? Life may be far more jolly for you but you would do well to understand (or reflect more on) the real world to refrain from being so quick to criticise those in a hard spot that may have genuine reason for speaking out.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Seriously do you think when somebody gets into a serious accident, the ambulance is called by the hurt person?🤦 there is always a buddy system in place for a risky job. police , firefighters etc so that if someone gets hurt, the other call that in.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I get the point totally. We live in the snowflake society where some riders forget they are getting paid to ride and get results. When they have a few issues they try to look outside of the real issue instead of themselves. It odd so many of the team are making no complaints and getting on with their job. If you do not like what you do find another job simples. Tough love as my mum would say.paultryan200207-11-2026
- 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
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