"He is the yellow jersey, he shouldn't concern himself with anything else" - How Tadej Pogacar's one gesture blows away teammates
CyclingTuesday, 21 July 2026 at 12:16
Tadej Pogacar has held the yellow jersey for most of the 2026 Tour de France, but despite the attention and prestige that comes with his domination of the race and cycling in recent seasons, one humble action has blown away his UAE Team Emirates - XRG teammates.
The world champion is famously gracious in victory and defeat, and it seems his good nature extends to behind closed doors where his teammate Tim Wellens claims that his one move - that he doesn't necessarily need to do - surprised both him and his teammates.
Nonetheless, it's been a successful Tour for the Emirati squad as they controlled the race well after two weeks, putting Pogacar comfortably in yellow and moving Isaac del Toro to third place overall after 15 stages.
A brutal final week features three brutal mountain stages as well as a Tuesday time trial. With six crucial stages remaining, joy is on the mind of Wellens when asked to reflect on Pogacar and the Tour.
"I would say: joy. We are having a good time, we like being here," Wellens told Vive Le Vélo.
"We don't reflect on it enough, but later we will say: 'Wow, that was a magnificent Tour de France.'"
Tim Wellens and Tadej Pogacar at the 2026 Liêge-Bastogne-Liège
Pogacar gesture surprises Wellens
The Pogacar gesture that surprised Wellens was the fact that the four-time Tour winner is the only rider to make his own bed at the race and his desire to help teammates and staff when possible - with Wellens stressing that a rider of his caliber wouldn't need to concern himself with such tasks ordinarily.
"We all have a special bed in this Tour, and there are two people employed to set it up and take it down again every time.
"But Tadej is the only rider who makes his own bed entirely. You might say: he is the yellow jersey, he shouldn't concern himself with anything else. But Tadej likes helping people. He feels it is his duty to do it this way. Hats off to him!"
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Pogacar's humble nature is echoed by his mother, Marjeta, who describes her son's willingness to cook and clean as well as sleep in his childhood bed when he returns home to Slovenia for family visits.
She said: "Louis Vuitton and those brands? Not for him. Tadej and Urška cook their own meals at home in Monaco and they don't have a housekeeper there either, just as I don't have one at home. Tadej shudders at the thought of a housekeeper.
"When Tadej is home in Slovenia and we are having dinner with the whole family, he is the one who gets water for everyone, he is the one who makes the coffee. And instead of staying in a hotel, he sleeps at home in his old room. There is nothing that makes me happier as a mother."
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- INEOS is getting worse. Not a top dog anymore.
KerisVroom21-07-2026 - They are testing but are they Lance era testing or active testing. Lance era was "oh, looks a bit high but he is a big drawl...it's fine". Active is, positive pull them out of the race and banmd197521-07-2026
- it hinders recover if you're using epo for recoverywhkman21-07-2026
- Success usually corrupts and makes one arrogant. This is very impressive.KerisVroom21-07-2026
- Marc Reef: We had the race in our hands, and we were ready to give it a shot with him We had the race in our hands? Someone else needs to be tested for something else with this comment. Jonas was barely top 5 the day prior.mij21-07-2026
- this is a ridiculous comment, no basis behind this.mij21-07-2026
- The article states, "The judge, according to the sports code, must verify that there are "serious and consistent suspicions" that the specific riders have violated anti-doping rules or could do so". Since only Pogacar and Jonas were tested, I would like to know what was the serious and consistent suspicion that made them the subject of the testing? For context, several riders broke the time record on the Tourmalet and the Peleton has broken some long standing average speed records. No reason to just suspect the two of them.
PogiFan2Day21-07-2026 - vaughters is right it adds credibility if the riders pass the tests. record speeds in record heat doesn't add credibility. beating your own time up tourmalet by 2.5 minutes from 3 years ago doesn't add credibility.whkman21-07-2026
- It's good to read a calm, sensible comment for a change. Unlike many of the usual contributors here, who just post heated nonsense and blindly affirm or deny things like true believers.hb5012521-07-2026
- Kudos to Mom & Dad.
Front24221-07-2026
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