“I’m actually super happy” – Tadej Pogacar shrugs off Jonas Vingegaard time loss after stressful Tour de France opener
Cycling
Tadej Pogacar did not get yellow in Barcelona, did not beat Jonas Vingegaard, and still finished the opening day of the 2026 Tour de France insisting he was happy.
UAE Team Emirates – XRG placed third in the Stage 1 team time trial, 11.28 seconds behind Team Visma | Lease a Bike, leaving Pogacar 12 seconds behind Vingegaard in the first general classification. It was not the dream opening from a yellow jersey perspective, but Pogacar still left the Montjuic finale with the first polka-dot jersey of the race and a positive view of UAE’s ride.
“No, I’m not disappointed,” Pogacar said after the stage. “I’m actually super happy. You always want victory, but we had super good performance. I’m super happy this really hard day is over.”
Stage 1 was only 19.6 kilometres long, but the team time trial format, the individual timing rules and the climb towards the Olympic Stadium gave the favourites little room to hide. Visma judged it best, INEOS came closest through Filippo Ganna, and UAE had to rely on Pogacar and Isaac del Toro to finish off the damage limitation late.
“You prepare for just 20 minutes and it’s stressful,” Pogacar said. “Still, I enjoyed today, it was a long time since I last raced a TTT. I can be happy about today and motivated for next days.”
Del Toro digs deep as Pogacar takes polka dots
Pogacar had said before the Tour that the Montjuic finale would suit him, and UAE’s ride looked increasingly built around getting him to the climb with enough support still around him. By the final section, Del Toro was the last rider left helping the Slovenian, before Pogacar pushed on alone in the closing metres.
“I was quite sure the climb was going to go well,” Pogacar said. “Isaac did an amazing job, he’s such a good kid. Everybody went over their limits. Thanks to them, I have the polka-dot jersey.”
Tadej Pogacar at the 2026 Tour de France team presentation
That gives Pogacar a jersey after the first stage, just not the one Visma took with Vingegaard. The GC picture is already marked: Vingegaard in yellow, Ganna second, Pogacar third, Juan Ayuso fourth and Remco Evenepoel fifth. Del Toro also starts high, sitting sixth overall at 26 seconds after helping UAE through one of the most awkward opening tests the Tour could have offered.
Visma were faster, Vingegaard gained time, and UAE were beaten by both the winning team and INEOS. Pogacar’s answer was still calm, with Stage 2 already on his radar.
“First I need to chill and decompress, although we don’t have much time,” he said. “It will be a tricky stage, for puncheurs. The finale will be hectic, and things can also get complicated before that. We’ll have to pay attention tomorrow and do our best in the finale.”
Pogacar starts it 12 seconds behind Vingegaard, in polka dots, with Del Toro inside the top six and UAE already through the stress test they had spent months preparing for.
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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- You're right about Kieran Wood, but he keeps reminding us he's the big Deputy Editor-in-Chief !?!? He says his focus is on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. Kieran also says he places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available. So... he's gotta be right in saying Pogi is a four time TDF winner!?!? ... or maybe not!?!? LOL !!!PogiSloFans03-11-2026
- A busy boy!Lozza03-11-2026
- I hope 2027 is his year.mij03-11-2026
- why does he have to? many GT riders from Froome to Contador to Indurain didn't do them.mij03-11-2026
- I think Jonas would have lost the TDF by 4+ minutes (at the least) and might not have even been in the top 3. Too much talent in the younger riders to say anyone not named Pogačar would have been top 3md197503-11-2026
- this is just stupid. you already have 23%, gravel is over the topabstractengineer03-11-2026
- There was once a time when Lance was supremely popular and he used his artificial "It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life" persona to lead his mob in going after Greg. There was no one Lance did not abuse in protecting his phony hero image. Lance promoted himself as a divine megastar and he let down millions of cancer victims and gullible devotees who clung far too long to the charade. Lance is the epitome of a corrupt person and because of his power, many around him, including business enterprises, succumbed to the evil. All who got in Armstrong's way were mercilessly attacked by him and his minions. This remarkably continues today with a new generation. LeMond was a number one enemy and paid a huge price. Who do you think slandered who?Yepperoni03-11-2026
- You despise him because he calls out the truth....OK clown !frieders303-11-2026
- JV is really slighting himself with not doing the 1 dayers.. 🤷
leedorney02-11-2026 - Watch the interview on youtube. I don't speak French. I do speak English and Spanish and you can hear it in his voice. Years ago LeMond had real personal problems I imagine in no small part because of Armstrong. then Armstrong goes round "full blast" re: LeMond having drinking and drug problems. The same way Andreu was expelled from mainstream cycling so was LeMond. On the positive side the clips of the ride and chatting with old teammates and was good. To seemed like a fun day and experience and good reason brush up his French.atom02-11-2026
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