With the dominance displayed early in the season, it is fair to assume that if everything goes to plan there will be a battle at the Tour de France between Tadej Pogacar and Jumbo-Visma for the overall classification. Former race winner Alberto Contador has came out to say the Dutch team can really put the Slovenian under pressure.
In an interview with Spanish media outlet AS, Alberto Contador has said: “It’s obvious with what he’s showing this season he’s the No. 1 favorite. There are other teams, and Jumbo-Visma looks scary and in the right moment they can make things difficult for him with the many cards they have to play.”
“We think about Roglič, but the one who was second in the Tour was Vingegaard, and he showed at Tirreno-Adriatico he’s in good form. If they’re both there in the Tour together it can be more complicated for him. It’s a very strong block, and because of that Pogačar cannot be quiet," he added.
Pogacar has so far had a spotless start to the season with numerous wins at the UAE Tour, Strade Bianche and Tirreno-Adriatico, and has his eyes on tomorrow's Milano-Sanremo. He's targeting a third Tour de France title this summer but will be challenged by Primoz Roglic and Jonas Vingegaard who have also started off their season strong, taking several wins in France combined, and with the Dane coming second to Pogacar at Tirreno-Adriatico. Although a distant second, the main goal will be later in the season and throughout 21 days of racing a lot can happen.
Contador also talked about Egan Bernal, with whom he's been in contact recently: “I am confident he can return to be the same as he was before. His motivation and confidence in himself is brutal. You can see he is controlling his weight, and that’s one of the hardest things." Bernal is currently undergoing a miraculous rehabilitation process and has recently gotten back on the home trainer, his coach Xabier Artexte said Bernal's return to the peloton "can also be at the end of this year".
“What he’s doing shows the difference between the big champions. When they are confronted with an adversity like this one, they put the same energy into recovering from the injuries as they do in winning the Tour de France. I confide that Egan will return to his maximum level," 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.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- I see (elsewhere) that Alaphilippe had more to say than what got relayed in this stub. Me: he was very good early but his latter third trajectory was the pits. His old boss did what he could (huffed and puffed) but Julian couldn't get his greatness back. Sometimes I wonder if crashes that didn't look like much changed the course of the rider.flyer14-11-2026
- I wouldn't classify it as a gift because the nasty consequences of taking it from Sepp would have been great and would persist and he knew it.flyer14-11-2026
- Ok. Tratnik's good and Red Bull's better so Tratnik may get what he wants.flyer14-11-2026
- Ok. So just saying he wasn't enjoying racing anymore is some kind of explanation? Me saying I don't enjoy his explanation is more explaining than he did.flyer14-11-2026
- Buitrago, was he their best rider in 2026? He's the chief loss for them and Martinez and Tiberi (especially) have to step up or they will be overtaken by Bahrain's younger riders like Omrzel. I'm still somewhat high on Martinez but Tiberi, after showing signs of promise, has fizzled. Bahrain still has a good team but they need to improve and exceed expectations. I'd be happy if Mohoric could manage to return to his better form for maybe one last year at least.flyer14-11-2026
- Hmmm, "... I just gained 30 seconds purely off the bike. Because it's really a big, big improvement compared to the previous bike". Is that marketing for Specialized or serious valid hype, or something in between? Very likely the former.flyer14-11-2026
- Nothing revelatory or controversial. Why do we have to report on Bruyneel's or Armstrong's thinking. It's a shame and enough that the Move's on TV and that people watch it .flyer14-11-2026
- Makes sense that training from home is a big asset or advantage but it's still remarkable that he can put in three quality majors and not pay some heavy price for the exertion. I wish he would have won that tour stage that his crash while leading allowed Carapaz the win. He's a darn good rider and teammate.flyer14-11-2026
- Sounds like we all agree with the over under exaggeration: "The German’s signing does not guarantee that Evenepoel will win the Tour in 2027. "flyer14-11-2026
- Seixas appears to be that good but if he isn't (an absolute rival to Pogacar) he would have plenty of company in rising stars that did not go on to fully meet the expectations of many. That Pogacar wasn't the greatest (as great) sooner can't be transposed onto another's development. It may be not that simple.flyer14-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment