"If I have to sacrifice everything for a stage win, I will do that" - Jegat was the Tour de France's Top10 surprise in 2025, but shouldn't be this summer

Jordan Jegat is set to race the upcoming Tour de France. In 2025, he was the surprise figure in the Top10, climbing into it on the very last competitive day. This time around, he is certainly not a favourite to repeat the feat after a difficult run-up to the race, which instead makes him point towards a potential career-changing stage win.

In fact his presence at the Tour was put in jeopardy by his own team. In contract year and with TotalEnergies likely coming to an end at the end of 2026 unless they find a new title sponsor - as the oil giant will move on to Netcompany INEOS - Jegat's contract has been highly regarded. A recent report suggests he could be moving to Lidl-Trek.

However team manager Jean-René Bernaudeau has said that if any of his riders commit to a new team before the team, and this was hinted at Jegat specifically, they would not be selected. Hence at the time being, this would strongly indicate no deal has been signed yet.

A small knee injury hampered the 27-year old's season, preventing him from doing quality training during the winter and pushing his debut late into April. It was a very promising start however, winning the Classic Grand Besançon Doubs ahead of Matthew Riccitello right on his first race day.

"It's going really well. The season did indeed start later, but it started with a win. To begin like that, with my first professional victory..." Jegat said in an interview with In de Leiderstrui.

Hopes were very high. He was third at the Tour du Jura the following day, but at the Tour of Turkey where he might have been the main favourite, he was fourth in the GC. At the recent Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, the main test ahead of the Tour, he was 22nd in the overall classification, distant from the form he had at this time 12 months ago. He was seventh in all three occasions he joined the day's breakaway, coincidentally.

This May altitude training camp faced obstacles, and he ultimately hasn't reached his best form yet. "I had a more difficult altitude camp this year than in other years. So I'm currently a bit in search of the good feelings. I'm not worried about the rest, it'll come."

Starting the Tour without his best legs will not be ideal, specially with a team time trial and two hilltop finishes kicking off the action.

"The preparation has gone well enough. We did Sierra Nevada this year, like last year, with an altitude camp there. After that I got ill, so I think that's why my form has dropped a bit," he reveals. "I'm not worried. There are still some good weeks coming to work on it, so it will come back quickly."

Jegat is likely to put a stage win as his absolute priority, and putting his GC ambitions into a secondary position. It will be difficult to replicate his success of last year but, under the ideal conditions, a few days could see him perform towards a win that would make the French team's race.

"In the Tour, a stage win is the biggest goal. A GC result is always in the head, but if I have to sacrifice everything for a stage win, I will do that," he concluded.