"I don't see anyone who could worry him" - Pogacar the man to beat at the 2026 Tour for Bernard Hinault
Cycling
Bernard Hinault was the last French rider to win the Tour de France and is, alongside a few others, a record holder. He is held very dearly by the French and his opinion is also a very important one. Besides Tadej Pogacar and Paul Seixas, the now 70-year old also extensively talked about the Alpe d'Huez, the highlight of the 2026 route and the location of his last road stage win at the Tour back in 1986.
"I've climbed it several times and won it once with Greg LeMond. He had the jersey, but I didn't let him take the victory at Alpe d'Huez, because it's not every day you win there. And above all, it was my last year," Hinault said in the microphone of Cyclism'Actu. This was now 39 years ago, the year after his final Tour and his last year as a pro rider, an image that has been shown at the Paris Tour presentation this Thursday and is often remembered as one of the most iconic moments of the Alpine mountain.
"It's certainly rare for two teammates to arrive together at Alpe d'Huez, with the yellow jersey and the one who would finish second behind them. It was quite exceptional". Most recently, it has been used at the 2022 race, won by Tom Pidcock from the breakaway whilst Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard battled for the yellow jersey behind the day after Pogacar cracked on the Col du Granon. We should see the same battle next summer, although likely in different circumstances.
But having the Alpe d'Huez twice in a year is not surprising news to 'The Badger': "We've done it before, let's not forget that. I've already done it once. It was a long time ago; you have to look in the archives: we climbed it two days in a row. But these are two different routes this time. The first climb is via the traditional road, and the other via the Sarenne climb, so we're coming in from behind. I don't know this climb yet, so I can't say what it'll be like, but it'll be a big day of cycling."
However Hinault doesn't offer any particular special insight to the climb, keeping it quite simply on how to perform well up it. "You have to be at the front, that's all. Don't get caught out and don't let anyone get away. If you want to win at Alpe d'Huez, you can't let an opponent get away, and then it'll go well."
Pogacar and Seixas
It's quite impossible to design a Tour de France route that doesn't feature Tadej Pogacar as the man to beat at this point in time, but aside from that, Hinault believes his five-Tour record should be matched by the Slovenian in a matter of a few months. "Yes, I think it's a Tour made for him. When you see how he's dominating right now, barring an incident, I don't see anyone who could worry him".
On Paul Seixas' potential (but unlikely) participation, perhaps the hottest topic in France right now, Hinault has a clear opinion, and it mimics that of most: "In my opinion, no. I think it's better for him to look towards the Giro d'Italia or the Vuelta a España to get his bearings, because there will still be some big challenges, and then he'll be able to ease off a bit".
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.
claps 1visitors 1
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- I get the point totally. We live in the snowflake society where some riders forget they are getting paid to ride and get results. When they have a few issues they try to look outside of the real issue instead of themselves. It odd so many of the team are making no complaints and getting on with their job. If you do not like what you do find another job simples. Tough love as my mum would say.paultryan200207-11-2026
- 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
- 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
Loading
Write a comment