"I don't know when the last time was that Pogacar had to sit down and allow someone to come back" - Thijs Zonneveld
Cycling
Stage 4 of the Tour de France provided fireworks and in what way! Despite the peloton not having gone through a single long climb yet, we have had two stages with the world's best attacking each other and looking to gain time on the overall classification. This Tuesday, the World Champion Tadej Pogacar attacked all-out for the first time in this race, but he was unable to drop Jonas VIngegaard.
"I don't know when the last time was that Pogacar had to sit down and allow someone to come back. Never on such a short, explosive climb," Zonneveld argued on the In de Waaier podcast. "Normally, he goes away and then you don't see him again".
It was the climax of the stage, following a long leadout battle between the two strongest teams in the race to the Saint-Hilaire ascent, a short 800-meter long climb that averaged 12% but hit gradients as high as 18%. With it coming so close to the finish line in Rouen, a technical finale in the streets of the French city, attacks were expected.
After a brutal leadout from Jhonatan Narváez and João Almeida, Pogacar launched his own attack but was followed by Vingegaard - who looked to crack near the summit, but then returned to the wheel of the World Champion. The two stuck together to the finish with Vingegaard surprising with his explosiveness.
"There's a chance we'll get a real Tour. Vingegaard saw that he had to sit down too. At that moment, Pogacar transformed from the untouchable robot, an alien who is actually too good for everyone, into a human being. A human being who also knows his limits and boundaries. Vingegaard then closes that gap, and then they're together again".
Whilst Pogacar did win a few seconds in bonifications once again, he has not gained time on the road on his main rival yet, and there is certainly a certain positive outcome for Visma who have seen their team and leader perform to perfection on the first serious GC day of the race.
As for Remco Evenepoel, the Dutch pundit did not have as much positivity to deliver, after another small time loss and an oddly-timed attack: "He's losing out on corners and positioning today. In his attack, he simply rode two bad corners, allowing them to easily catch him".
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- 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 - Indeed! A reluctant gift maybe. Even more reluctant gift from Roglic! Tho I can’t see that Rog would have beaten Ving anyway.Lozza14-11-2026
- That really nasty crash in 2022 Liege must have played a big part - broken ribs, pneumothorax. You only have to look at his points tallies pre and post.Lozza14-11-2026
- Yeah, good luck getting tv and race organisers like ASO etc to part with their cash!Lozza14-11-2026
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