"If I had Tadej’s legs and felt this good, I would take advantage" - Tim Wellens hints of looming Pogacar raid as mountains return at Tour de France
CyclingSaturday, 18 July 2026 at 12:15
Tim Wellens believes Tadej Pogacar would be right to opt for attack as the best form of defence in his bid to win a fifth Tour de France yellow jersey. In an ominous warning to the general classification contenders ahead of two mountain stages, his teammate believes he should attack.
Wellens is fresh off his own pursuit of glory after a breakaway feast on stage 13 saw 57 riders go up the road. The peloton checked out and allowed a third of the peloton to go for glory on Friday, with the Beglian and teammate Brandon McNulty making a ten rider selection over the day's final climb.
With 30 kilometers remaining, UAE looked to be in a good spot with numbers but it was Jayco AlUla who used their two riders best as Mauro Schmid broke away with Harold Tejada in the final 15 kilometers and held off the chasers to take the win.
Afterwards, Wellens' focus immediately switched to the weekend and Pogacar as he hoped that an attritional day would weaken resistance for the team come stage 14 and 15.
“Naturally, these will be very important days for us. I hope that – except for me in the breakaway – everyone suffered a bit on Friday. So that we can perform well,” Wellens told Wielerflits.
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With Pogacar established in yellow at 3:36 ahead of Jonas Vingegaard, Wellens doesn't think La Grand Boucle is wrapped up just yet, noting that illness, fatigue and crashes are a daily worry for all racing - especially Pogacar.
“It’s a cliché, but the Tour still has to be ridden. The final week is also a very tough week. Every rider who has ridden the Tour knows that anything can still happen then.
"You can get sick very easily. Especially Tadej, who has a lot of people around him. You can also crash; a few days ago it almost came to that."
However when it comes to legs, Pogacar has repeatedly shown to be strongest. The Slovenian has attacked several times throughout the race and Wellens, who is often the pre-emptive warning for a Pogacar acceleration when he comes to the front, would do the same himself if he could.
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Wellens said: “Currently, we can say that he is physically the best, but a good weekend and a good week afterwards are still to come.
"If I had Tadej’s legs and felt this good, I would take advantage of every moment to gain extra time.”
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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- I would like to see a Mathieu vs Mads showdown on stage 17, like we've had at Gent-Wevelgem. And then on stage 21 Pogačar can join in and why not Remco too.
Rafionain-Glas18-07-2026 - All valid points. Only problem is, everyone else looks more worn out (except Florian Lipowitz, who hasn't ridden to his fullest in order to protect cry-baby Remco's GC ambitions)Rafionain-Glas18-07-2026
- 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 caughtRafionain-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
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