"He's the real threat to Milan" - Robbie McEwen favors Tadej Pogacar to win the Green jersey at Tour
Cycling
Robbie McEwen has won the Points Classification at Tour de France three times (2002, 2004, 2006), so he can be seen as a bit of an expert on the subject. And according to the legendary Australian sprinter, the competition this year is far from finished with Tadej Pogacar quickly closing in onto the current leader Jonathan Milan.
"It's very far from over," McEwen told Cyclingnews. "Jonathan Milan has the lead, but it's not secure because Tadej Pogacar is just going to keep winning stages, and if he doesn't win, then he's going to place highly. He's the real threat to Milan."
"So, Milan has to get into breaks and get intermediate sprints and then score well at every finish left that suits him. But it's a really interesting battle, of course, because Tadej can win on any hard stage."
Jonathan Milan wins stage 8 in Laval
Mathieu van der Poel
And it doesn't have to be just a battle between "climber" Pogacar and "sprinter" Milan. Third man in the classification Mathieu van der Poel currently trails Milan by 58 points, but the Dutchman has been slowly moving up in the rankings in the versatile stages and with Tadej Pogacar not entirely fussed over Green jersey, Van der Poel could quickly catch up to Milan.
"Mathieu van der Poel is getting in breaks and picking up points," McEwen said. "He'd be a lot more of a threat and a lot closer if he had only concentrated on himself. But he's been such a good teammate, leading out Jasper Philipsen and Kaden Groves, so he's been leaving some points on the table. I think Tadej is the biggest threat to Milan, so [Lidl-Trek] really have to make the most of every chance they get."
McEwen then notes that the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider might've been already in the lead had he not sacrificed himself for his teammates in the first week. "If Mathieu were to come into the Tour and concentrate only on himself and focus on green and on intermediate sprints, then sure, he could win a green jersey."
Wild card Merlier
While Tim Merlier may not be actively chasing the green jersey himself, he could still play a key part in how the battle unfolds. Winner of two sprints this year, Merlier has already denied Milan 40 points simply by being faster to the line. With not so many sprint stages left in this Tour, every point could count and Milan not winning on the opportunities given could prove to be a decisive factor.
"He's the top guy, and that could also be something in the end which stands in the way of Milan winning the green jersey – if he doesn't take the 50 points at the end of a flat stage because Merlier beats him. That could end up being the difference between Milan and Pogačar for green."
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- 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
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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