"It is almost impossible to ride away from Jonas" - Tadej Pogacar tries but fails to cut race lead
Cycling
Stage 14 of the Tour de France presented another opportunity for the GC battle to unfold, and it did on the slopes of the Côte de la Croix Neuve as Tadej Pogacar tried to cut the difference to race leader Jonas Vingegaard, however again not managing to.
Pogacar told NOS after the stage: “Wout van Aert tried to go along in the breakaway and I jumped in the wheel. We had quite a big hole. There were a lot of riders in the front to get into the break. I tried to jump in to anger the boys behind us," he said. The stage was certain for a breakaway to succeed and the hilly start saw the Slovenian trying to surprise.
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A set of accelerations on the first climb of the day saw Vingegaard under pressure, as Jumbo-Visma crumbled, not expecting the move. However the yellow jersey kept his cool and managed to bridge across to Pogacar, and control his attacks until the race settled down later on. The battle was to be repeated late in the day however, as the two went head to head in the final climb.
"It is almost impossible to ride away from Jonas, but nothing is impossible, today was a short, steep climb," he decribed. Pogacar set a number of small accelerations which tried to crack the Dane, however the scenario was similar as to Alpe d'Huez where he was perfectly matched.
"I think I can try it more often in the Pyrenees, where the mountains are more open," he concluded. Tomorrow stage's into Carcassonne will however be a day of survival, with the gruelling heat and strong winds to play a part in the day's outcome.
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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- I had no idea about that either.
santiagobenites10-11-2026 - great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
- As he isn't currently with Red Bull, I guess if he want to race for one more year he needs to find a team. He's 37 so this will be his last year I would guess, unless he wants to race for almost nothing like Froome did.awp10-11-2026
- I think some are making much ado about nothing. Even though Jonas is getting older, before his crash in the Tour, he looked like a solid 2nd all the way home. No one can really climb with Tadej until this year, Eric Mas showed himself which I think was a one off year for him and Paul Seixas has been able to be pretty close to him. Whatever stage race Jonas enters as long as Tadej is not there he is a favorite to win.awp10-11-2026
- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
- Ciccone had a very strong end of season. Consistently attacking and livening up races. Hope he makes that last leap in progress and starts notching some significant wins. Great rider to watch.Occam10-11-2026
- Me too!!!!!Occam10-11-2026
- they can sign any 100 of top riders today but Pogi will win over Remco any time at the TDF unless something goes wrongabstractengineer10-11-2026
- the time for a GC rider to retire is when they cannot win stages, or have a significant level drop like from winner/podium into top 5/10 consistently. Roglic is still competitive and Froome raced even though he became pack fodder.abstractengineer10-11-2026
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🤍 @TamauPogi put in an attack on the final climb, retains second overall. #TDF2022
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