“If we explode, we explode” – Tadej Pogacar reveals all-or-nothing UAE plan behind brutal Tour de France demolition job on Tourmalet
Cycling
Tadej Pogacar has revealed UAE Team Emirates – XRG went into Stage 6 of the 2026 Tour de France ready to risk everything, after an all-or-nothing assault on the first high-mountain stage left Jonas Vingegaard already 2:42 down overall.
Pogacar attacked on the Col du Tourmalet after a huge lead-out from Isaac del Toro, then rode alone to Gavarnie-Gedre to claim his 23rd career Tour de France stage win and move back into the yellow jersey. The Slovenian later admitted that UAE had committed to the day with no guarantee their plan would survive the mountains.
“If we explode, we explode”
“We were going like nothing to lose,” Pogacar said after the finish. “If we explode, we explode. But in the end, we succeeded, and I'm super proud of everybody.”
UAE did not wait for the final climb, nor leave the stage to a breakaway. They kept the race within reach, reduced the favourites’ group on the Col d’Aspin and then lined up their mountain train on the Tourmalet.
Tim Wellens, Felix Grossschartner, Brandon McNulty and Adam Yates all worked before Del Toro delivered the final acceleration five kilometres from the summit. Pogacar followed his young teammate, then pressed on alone once Del Toro had finished his effort.
Vingegaard initially kept the gap close over the top of the Tourmalet, but the damage grew on the descent and again on the long drag towards Gavarnie-Gedre. By the end of the stage, Pogacar had won, taken yellow, and moved 2:42 clear of his biggest rival overall.
“One of the sweetest” wins of Pogacar’s career
Pogacar has already built one of cycling’s great palmares, but this one immediately stood out to him. Asked where the victory ranked among his 123 career wins, he did not play down the feeling. “It's one of the sweetest for sure,” Pogacar said.
This was not simply another Pogacar mountain win, but a first high-mountain statement that ripped the GC back into a familiar shape: Pogacar in yellow, Vingegaard chasing, UAE in control and the rest of the podium contenders scrambling behind.
Pogacar had sensed from the morning that the day could become something more than a normal mountain stage. “Today I woke up like seven in the morning and already my mind was going crazy, so I was really, really excited for today,” he explained. “All the guys were really hyped, so I knew it will be good day, and we would just commit.”
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UAE deliver on Pogacar’s Tourmalet plan
UAE denied the early moves too much room, brought back Ben O’Connor before the Tourmalet and then began removing riders from the front group as soon as the first major climbing test of the race properly bit.
Behind Pogacar and Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel, Juan Ayuso, Paul Seixas, Florian Lipowitz and the rest of the podium contenders were left fighting in the chase group. Torstein Traeen’s spell in yellow ended after a brutal day that also included a crash on the descent from the Tourmalet.
For Pogacar, the win belonged to the team as much as the rider who crossed the line alone. “Today was crazy teamwork,” he said.
Stage 6 has left the Tour in a very different place. Pogacar has yellow, a 23rd Tour stage win, a lead of almost three minutes over Vingegaard and a UAE team that looked strong enough to attack the race rather than simply defend it.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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