“I don’t go for records" - Tadej Pogacar shuts down Lance Armstrong question at Tour de France
CyclingSaturday, 18 July 2026 at 10:34
Tadej Pogacar has addressed recent Lance Armstrong comments after the American suggested that his stricken record of seven Tour de France wins is on the mind of the all-conquering Slovenian.
The UAE Team Emirates rider is well on his way towards a fifth Tour de France crown, a triumph that would put him alongside Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernaud Hinault and Miguel Indurain as the only men to win La Grand Boucle five times.
We've seen Pogacar focus his 2026 season around winning some races he hasn't before to beef up his palmares as the world champion added Milano-Sanremo, Tour de Romandie and Tour de Suisse to his burgeoning trophy cabinet.
But according to the once upon a time Tour record holder, Pogacar isn't looking at five Tour crowns as the pinnacle, but rather that seven is the goal for Pogacar.
“I got this question in the morning,” Pogacar said during his press conference as he referred to the comments. “I don’t know. I can’t say anything.”
Pogacar said he doesn't focus on records
Remaining tight-lipped on his thoughts about Armstrong's comments, Pogacar insisted that the thought of records doesn't concern him and that his only goal is to get yellow this time around.
“I don’t go for records. I just want to finish this Tour with yellow in Paris. That is the main focus.”
Discussing Pogacar's potential record-equalling win in France, Armstrong claimed that the Slovenian is actually looking at his stricken recordas the benchmark, and not the five wins of the four other riders.
“Soon Pogacar is going to win his fifth Tour de France," Armstrong said on The Move Podcast last week.
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"And then we’re going to have to read everywhere that he has equaled the 'all-time' record and is joining that select club. But 'guess what'? He doesn't even believe that himself. Not at all. He knows what the record is.”
Armstrong believes the record books don't tell the full story. From 1999 to 2005, the American rider won seven successive editions of the Tour de France as he dominated the race. However, his wins were wiped from the records in 2012 after a doping investigation before he admitted to doing so in 2013.
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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- Armstrong is repulsive. The fact that he doped is bad enough but what really makes him a terrible person is how he attacked some really good people in cycling. Just ask Frankie and Betsy Andrew, Greg LeMond and Emma O'Reilly how he made their lives miserable so he could perpetuate his lie that he was clean. Those are just a few names on the list of people he bullied and/or went after with his lawyers to silence the truth. Even if he hadn’t doped, he is not someone I would ever want to know.
Rggg18-07-2026 - Roglič will fall out of GC, go in the breakaway and get caught
Rafionain-Glas18-07-2026 - Answer: He doesn't look himself in the mirror and never has. Have you seen how grimy his face is?Rafionain-Glas18-07-2026
- How can this guy look himself in the mirror? He admitted doping 7 tdf titles and still says he has the record? What a clown. How come he has such visibility and importance in cycling, when he did so bad to the sport? Thousands must have stopped following cycling when this came outLobz7718-07-2026
- OK Duchenne, calm the farm. We get your obsession but there is no need to be a bigot. None at all.
Andrew18-07-2026 - Who was gifted what exactly?Andrew18-07-2026
- Great win for the Aussie team. Brings a bit of life into the race.whit2pet18-07-2026
- They said the same thing last year..
leedorney18-07-2026 - Maybe he has a key role in the plan for the third week that Visma have been talking of.Hills3318-07-2026
- If every sport had a cycling audience, especially the French audience, there would be no Messi, Bolt, Phelps, Jordan, Djokovic, Nadal, Federer...none of them would exist, and if you asked foolish people "who was the best in those sports?"... the answer would be "NOBODY." They like different winners in every race...they don't like GOATS. That's why they hate Pogi-Baby Hulk.mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales18-07-2026
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