"He should be good for the Tour - in my opinion, even stronger" - Rafal Majka backs Tadej Pogacar for historic Giro d'Italia/Tour de France double
Cycling
After Tadej Pogacar's dominant general classification triumph at the 2024 Giro d'Italia, it hasn't taken long for attention to turn to the upcoming Tour de France, where the UAE Team Emirates leader hopes to become the first man since Marco Pantani to complete a Giro/Tour double.
One man who has had as good a view of Pogacar's comprehensive Maglia Rosa victory at the Giro d'Italia as anyone, was the Slovenian's loyal super-domestique and last man in the mountains, Rafal Majka. Although the vastly experienced and always reliable Pole is not expected to be present at the Tour de France later this summer, the 34-year-old is confident his team leader can get back to Maillot Jaune winning ways after a pair of second-placed finishes over the last two seasons.
"We have a strong team for the Tour de France. We have Joao Almeida, we have Juan Ayuso, we have Adam Yates, a lot of good guys," previews Majka in conversation with his former teammate Alberto Contador for Eurosport following the Giro d'Italia's thrilling finale in Rome on Sunday afternoon. Not mentioned by Majka there are also the likes of Nils Politt, Pavel Sivakov, Marc Soler and Tim Wellens as UAE Team Emirates take a truly all-star lineup in their quest to reclaim the Maillot Jaune.
"Tadej has finished the Giro d'Italia with good condition. He can rest and he should be good for the Tour - in my opinion, even stronger," Majka concludes, even opening the door to a potential Vuelta a Espana appearance for his leader later in the year, should Pogacar claim the Tour. "You never know. It depends from the team, but for me he's a superstar."
In his own, post-stage interview, Pogacar himself expressed confidence about his Tour de France prospects. "If I arrive at the Tour de France with these legs that I have now, I think it's going to be just fine," the Maglia Rosa assessed after the podium ceremonies in Rome. "The most important thing is to recover now."
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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- Roglic could not have won anyway, after Jonas followed him when Roglic decided it was his turn for a stage win. Jonas had already attacked Kuss twice, so it was Jonas who was within seconds of taking the lead before Kuss was 'gifted' the win. It felt a bit like Roglic was being thrown under the bus when the team made his unhappiness public.Hills3314-11-2026
- POG1, another nice doc about our favourite, I watched most of it with a big smile on my face (except for the bits about his crashes 😢 obvs!).Lozza14-11-2026
- Martinez had a good year! 5th at the Tour was a great result for him, albeit largely through getting in successful breaks, but he held it better than Pidcock who’d done the same.Lozza14-11-2026
- guess what Valgren, you're 34, and no you're not good enough. sorry to say.mij14-11-2026
- I'm a sepp fan and like to think he earned that LOL, indulge me : ) I think Jonas was fine. Roglic did not want to concede to Sepp. and I don't think you ever attack your own teammate in the leaders jersey if he is holding his own, which Sepp just about was.mij14-11-2026
- enough time? he's 24 years old. He's won 10 races over the last 2 years and some are significant. I won't argue about his attitude being good - it needs to improve. But with some coaching and mentorship he has a lot of winning ahead of him and has plenty of time to win a GT. I don't think he will ever beat Tadej, but everyone else is fair game Look at Mas and Valverde - they were 31 and 29, respectively, when they won the Vuelta.mij14-11-2026
- Pogacar has a fine head on his shoulders.Careful investments and a couple of coffee shops sounds like a wonderful way to chill after an intense career.Stay healthy GOAT.
Brucegel14-11-2026 - I live in Maribor.PogiSloFans14-11-2026
- I live in Ljubljana and often go on trips in the surrounding area, where I frequently see young cyclists in 'Pogi Team' jerseys training, either alone or in groups. By simply motivating so many young people to take up cycling, Tadej has already achieved something truly significant.Velijo14-11-2026
- That's an excellent point. It's interesting that Vader came to that realization only after he learned that his contract wasn't going to be renewed.
santiagobenites14-11-2026
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