"I don't think Pogacar's team is close to our system" - Visma | Lease a Bike nutrition specialist on Tadej Pogacar's weakness
Cycling
If Jonas Vingegaard is ready to fight for third Tour de France triumph, he'll be present at the Grand Départ in Firenze next Saturday. That's the narrative his team Visma | Lease a Bike fed the cycling public for last two months. Steff Cras' recent performances at Tour of Slovenia indicate the level of Vingegaard could be good enough. We'll soon get out answers. Another aspect that may play role in the high mountains will be nutrition. As it turns out, the Dutch team is confident even in this area.
In 2020 and 2021 Pogacar won the Tour, in 2022 and 2023 the title went to the calm Dane. Both times it turned out Pogacar underestimated his nutritioning. This year, Pogacar logically seems to have the advantage, although this may not be the case in terms of nutrition. "I don't think Pogacar's team is close to our system, to be honest," says professor Asker Jeukendrup at NOS.
"Many teams are still looking for that latest miracle cure," said the former triathlete. "Or they buy a large food truck and think they are done with the investment in food. While they are often very basic things. What do the riders receive and when? That can go well or wrong at any meal."
Eating during the race is also an important aspect. "We have done many studies into all kinds of combinations of carbohydrates, but ultimately we arrived at the combination of fruit sugar and dextrose. In other words, fructose and glucose. They both use a different transporter in the intestines."
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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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- for what?frieders311-11-2026
- Blah blah blah!frieders311-11-2026
- Where Merckx just rode every single race he could and won all the time, Hinault won less often (percentage wise) because he was more judicious in what he raced. His palmares are nuts. He had amazing rivals, one to start his career and another to end it in the grand tours. His classics were solid. What sets him apart from Merckx and Pogačar are that he basically dabbled in the classics while the other two love(d) them. I used to compare Pogačar to Hinault for his grand tour record and occasional classics win, until I realized that the comparison was wrong. Pogačar loves the classics - ah, the memory of his reaction to finishing fourth in a 2 person sprint in Flanders in ‘22: utter domination in any one day race since then, even when he doesn’t win. Hinault lived for the grand tours and I don’t think anyone else will ever reach his record. 10 wins in 13 attempts? Good lord. An amazing rider. Wish there was more footage to watch.RidesHills11-11-2026
- I had no idea about that either.
santiagobenites10-11-2026 - great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
- As he isn't currently with Red Bull, I guess if he want to race for one more year he needs to find a team. He's 37 so this will be his last year I would guess, unless he wants to race for almost nothing like Froome did.awp10-11-2026
- I think some are making much ado about nothing. Even though Jonas is getting older, before his crash in the Tour, he looked like a solid 2nd all the way home. No one can really climb with Tadej until this year, Eric Mas showed himself which I think was a one off year for him and Paul Seixas has been able to be pretty close to him. Whatever stage race Jonas enters as long as Tadej is not there he is a favorite to win.awp10-11-2026
- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
- Ciccone had a very strong end of season. Consistently attacking and livening up races. Hope he makes that last leap in progress and starts notching some significant wins. Great rider to watch.Occam10-11-2026
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🇳🇱 #NKwielrennen 💬 "There's no shame in losing from Daan. I had the legs to win." - Mick van Dijke Read more in our report! ✍🏼⤵️
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