"Is Pogacar beatable? Normally you'd say no" - Has Criterium du Dauphiné already been decided?
Cycling
The Criterium du Dauphiné completely exploded this Friday afternoon with the ascent to Combloux where Tadaj Pogacar left his rivals in his wake. The World Champion has put on the yellow jersey and there are questions over whether he has already virtually sealed it.
“With him, you always expect something, but the rest had also risen in the rankings. We saw that in the poll we did for overall victory in the Dauphiné. You see the Visma guys riding full gas on the penultimate climb, clearly trying to make the race hard. And then they’re still left with three riders, Tulett, Jorgenson, and Vingegaard himself as a kind of field general," De Cauwer said on Sporza.
However Visma was not able to break through Pogacar's hold, and later on it would be easy to understand why, as the Slovenian looked head and shoulders above the rest. He won the stage with over a minute's lead on Jonas Vingegaard, enough to take all the time back he lost in the time-trial and put in a considerable margin.
“Normally, we’ve seen Vingegaard hang on for longer. I’m not saying he didn’t try, but he gave in fairly quickly, he didn’t want to blow himself up completely," De Cauwer argues. "You saw Evenepoel do the same, just sticking to his own rhythm. But that rhythm was simply too slow. Same for Vingegaard.”
Ultimately nothing could've been done there, but that may not apply to the Alpine monster that is on the menu this Saturday. “There are three long climbs on Saturday. When a rider loses time, we always look for reasons. Was it yesterday’s crash? His time-trial was solid, so maybe there’s more in the tank.”
“And then suddenly, today he’s less again. That’s the Pogacar story. You have to assume, he’s the best rider right now. Has been for three, maybe five years, even though Vingegaard won the Tour twice. So, is Pogacar beatable? Normally you'd say no," the Belgian commentator believes. "But Vingegaard is Vingegaard, and Evenepoel is Evenepoel. They’ll have their moments. We always look for opportunities, and so do they.”
“We might see a different race tomorrow. I wouldn’t dare say it’ll play out the same way, even though that would make sense. Pogacar will control things now, but on those long grinding climbs, Vingegaard and Evenepoel might perform better. It’s all up or down, so what can your domestiques really do for you then?” The presence of Jhonatan Narváez and Tim Wellens as the main supporters for Pogacar yesterday are also not the best indicator for the high mountains.
“Two days ago, Pogacar still had work to do. We were saying Vingegaard looked ready, maybe better than ever. Evenepoel was at his optimal weight and riding faster than ever. So… where do we stand now?”
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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- Martinez had a good year! 5th at the Tour was a great result for him, albeit largely through getting in successful breaks, but he held it better than Pidcock who’d done the same.Lozza14-11-2026
- guess what Valgren, you're 34, and no you're not good enough. sorry to say.mij14-11-2026
- I'm a sepp fan and like to think he earned that LOL, indulge me : ) I think Jonas was fine. Roglic did not want to concede to Sepp. and I don't think you ever attack your own teammate in the leaders jersey if he is holding his own, which Sepp just about was.mij14-11-2026
- enough time? he's 24 years old. He's won 10 races over the last 2 years and some are significant. I won't argue about his attitude being good - it needs to improve. But with some coaching and mentorship he has a lot of winning ahead of him and has plenty of time to win a GT. I don't think he will ever beat Tadej, but everyone else is fair game Look at Mas and Valverde - they were 31 and 29, respectively, when they won the Vuelta.mij14-11-2026
- Pogacar has a fine head on his shoulders.Careful investments and a couple of coffee shops sounds like a wonderful way to chill after an intense career.Stay healthy GOAT.
Brucegel14-11-2026 - I live in Maribor.PogiSloFans14-11-2026
- I live in Ljubljana and often go on trips in the surrounding area, where I frequently see young cyclists in 'Pogi Team' jerseys training, either alone or in groups. By simply motivating so many young people to take up cycling, Tadej has already achieved something truly significant.Velijo14-11-2026
- That's an excellent point. It's interesting that Vader came to that realization only after he learned that his contract wasn't going to be renewed.
santiagobenites14-11-2026 - Indeed! A reluctant gift maybe. Even more reluctant gift from Roglic! Tho I can’t see that Rog would have beaten Ving anyway.Lozza14-11-2026
- That really nasty crash in 2022 Liege must have played a big part - broken ribs, pneumothorax. You only have to look at his points tallies pre and post.Lozza14-11-2026
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