"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
Cycling
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.
Jordan Jegat at the 2025 Tour de France
Difficulties during the altitude camp
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."
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Stage win above GC for Jegat
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.
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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- as we all like the david-style rebels, he will leave a gap.Ketterechts12-11-2026
- Oy, don't insult girlsHills3312-11-2026
- lol yeah. this is a good onemij12-11-2026
- Mads is the best: I didn’t even know there were rules in cyclocross. I just thought it was a matter of: ‘Go, three, two, one, ride.’ It’s like a street fight, a kind of underground brawl. It’s the MMA of cycling he gives the best quotes.mij12-11-2026
- he's too young. he's 23, so not really a fair call yet.mij12-11-2026
- and don't forget Pidcock's departure. maybe he will never win a GT, but he knows how to light up a race.mij12-11-2026
- Bingo...I was going to say a 12 year obsessed Pogi fan girlie ! Like she's chasing a teen boy band! All glossy eyed about tadej!frieders312-11-2026
- That stint in the Pink was so good. If memory serves he struggled with the champagne cuz he'd never been on the podium before. I feel like it gave him some self-belief, and yeah - then the move to Visma to be one of their lieutenants has really brought him to the best version of himself.wrsty12-11-2026
- So, you never really compared Paul Seixas with his main rival Isaac Del Toro why jump to Pogačar? They've (Paul & Isaac) raced together here and there, and they've both shared in wins and losses, I think they should be compared to each other, even with Vingegaard and Remco first before even touching Pogačar. From your writing it's like he's better than Vingegaard, Remco and Del Toro already that his main target is now Pogačar 🤔Sadick11-11-2026
- gee i hope its a minor injury. a great rider and ambassador for the sport. get well soon Lucinda.
Davide11-11-2026
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