“He looks a beaten man” - Lance Armstrong's assessment of Jonas Vingegaard as Pogacar rides to another Tour de France stage win
CyclingWednesday, 15 July 2026 at 09:56
Stage 10 of the Tour de France not only reinforced Tadej Pogacar’s dominance, it also sparked an unexpected debate about Jonas Vingegaard’s condition.
In the latest episode of The Move, Lance Armstrong, Bradley Wiggins, George Hincapie, and Spencer Martin dissected the Dane’s situation after another day in which he lost time to the world champion. Beyond the gaps on the general classification, it was the footage of the Visma-Lease a Bike rider crossing the finish and the rest-day reports of a possible withdrawal that dominated the discussion.
Armstrong was first to voice concern. The American admitted Vingegaard’s facial expression struck him more than the seconds ceded to Pogacar, and said the stories published during the rest day completely changed how he interpreted events.
“He lost time, but we also saw his face,” he said. “He looked defeated.” For the Texan, the broadcast offered a revealing shot of the Dane over the line, an image that instantly recalled the claims he had doubts about continuing to compete at the highest level.
Bradley Wiggins shared that impression and noted he had already detected a marked change in the two-time Tour winner’s demeanor during the opening days. The Briton argued that even when Vingegaard finished second last year, he always conveyed the belief he could still turn it around.
“Last year he was still thinking about how he could win the Tour,” Wiggins recalled. “Even coming back from injury, he gave the impression he still had a plan.” By contrast, he felt the image after Stage 10 was entirely different, and admitted it is “a shame” to see “a great champion” like that.
Pogacar has dominated the Tour de France
“They’re already racing for second place”
Spencer Martin went further with his tactical read of the stage. In his view, Visma-Lease a Bike’s approach shows the team has accepted that Pogacar sits a step above the rest of the peloton. “They’re racing for second,” he stated during the debate.
The American analyst explained that, in other Tours, when the leader’s team began to lose domestiques on the final climb, rivals seized the moment to attack. This time, the opposite happened. UAE Team Emirates-XRG shed teammates, eased the pace and, when Pogacar attacked, nobody tried to follow his wheel.
“They don’t react. They just try to keep him close,” Martin summed up, convinced that the group’s behavior shows the podium contenders no longer truly believe they can beat the Slovenian.
Armstrong agreed with that diagnosis and used a vivid comparison to describe Vingegaard’s state after the stage: “He looks like an inflatable doll that’s been deflated,” he said. The American was surprised by how easily the Dane shipped time on the final ramp and believes that fragility could completely reshape the podium fight.
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Pogacar changes the Tour’s rules
The debate also examined the moment Pogacar chose to launch the decisive attack. Armstrong explained that, according to information later released, the Slovenian couldn’t hear instructions from the team car due to a radio issue, so the move was entirely his.
“That decision was totally his,” he said.
For the American, Pogacar read the situation perfectly when he saw Visma move to the front without truly lifting the pace. “He smelled blood,” Armstrong said. “He thought: ‘I’m going to set my tempo and that’s that.’”
Armstrong added that such calls reflect the immense confidence with which the UAE Team Emirates-XRG leader is racing. In his view, all great champions need a healthy dose of ego to win the Tour, and Pogacar is no exception.
Who really calls the shots at UAE?
One of the episode’s most interesting moments came with the debate over who truly makes the decisions inside UAE Team Emirates-XRG. Armstrong recalled the long-held belief that he himself directed his team’s strategy from the bike and took the chance to debunk that myth. “It was never like that,” he said.
The American evoked his relationship with Johan Bruyneel during his years of Tour dominance. Although they constantly discussed strategy, he made clear the final word always belonged to the sports director. “If there was a disagreement, the final decision was his. He was the boss,” he stated.
The show also revisited the debate around Remco Evenepoel’s ride during the stage, especially his late acceleration after he had earlier struggled to hold the pace of the best. Spencer Martin defended the Belgian’s move and believes that, once he had rejoined the group, it made sense to try to finish with good sensations.
“Why not end on a positive note?” he argued.
Armstrong, however, was far more critical. While he acknowledged the merit of regaining contact after the descent, he felt the final attack did not really change the reading of the stage. “I have a problem with that,” he admitted. For the American, the image a rider leaves after being dropped weighs far more than a sprint in the final metres.
Remco Evenepoel
The battle for the green jersey
Another topic on the table was the points classification, where Mads Pedersen remains in front. The panel on The Move dissected Lidl-Trek’s strategy in the opening days and debated whether the team is extracting maximum value from the intermediate sprints.
Spencer Martin noted that, while Pedersen keeps edging his lead over Biniam Girmay, the gap is still far from decisive and could flip quickly when more stages favour the pure sprinters. George Hincapie added that the huge fatigue piling up for riders like Tim Merlier also has to be factored in.
“They’re suffering badly,” he said, noting the Belgian is getting distanced almost from the start on the tougher days, while praising the extraordinary work of his teammates to keep him within the time cut.
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Despite Pogacar’s absolute dominance, Armstrong refused to declare the Tour completely over. The American admitted the Slovenian looks like the best rider he has ever seen, but reminded viewers there are still ten days of racing and a Grand Tour can flip very fast. “All it takes is one bad day,” he warned.
When the panel then tried to answer who might capitalise on a hypothetical stumble from the UAE leader, the doubts were obvious. Wiggins kept faith with Vingegaard for his record in third weeks, while Martin flagged Paul Seixas as a rider to watch. But everyone agreed on one idea that neatly sums up the Tour’s current state: as of today, the only rider who seems capable of beating Pogacar is Pogacar himself.
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- No one is asking vou anything!!!mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales15-07-2026
- The writer saying there's no clear evidence is like saying there is evidence but it's not clear. A very underhanded way of accusing him of doping. Shameful...Santiago15-07-2026
- Hard to make sense of this kind of behavior from fans. Imagine Usain Bolt getting boos instead of applause after another record-breaking run, or Roger Federer winning Wimbledon for the nth time, or Messi winning the Bol'D Or n consecutive times, and fans greeting their achievements with boos instead of cheers. Is this the Lance Armstrong Effect, or the Paul Seixas Effect? When Steffi Graf was dominating women's tennis, then Monica Seles came along and broke her dominance, a crazed German fan jumped the barriers and stabbed her in the back, effectively ending her outstanding career. These athletes are outstanding specimens of mankind, they perform heroic deeds for our viewing delight. But stupidity lurks everywhere, and sports rely on spectators for patronage, so you learn to take the good with the bad. Such a shame.FredMan15-07-2026
- Fair call. It can't be fun getting labelled the Biggest Runner-Up Washed Loser because you're up against a freak of nature every July, when you've won every Grand Tour and the biggest one twice, and probably plan to do all the one week races and apart from one Slovenian you generally destroy the field in GC/stage races.wrsty15-07-2026
- Yeah but, Lipopoel, Del Poggo, Skelayuso? Would be so much more interesting if the actors were redistributed and had to show their worth instead of dezling with family feuds (and trust me, no matter how cosy, when it comes to inheritance, it won’t be). It’s almost as if the powers that be want it this way for spectacle and headlineability.Mistermaumau15-07-2026
- Jorgensen is often meant to be a satellite rider for Jonas, so a dangerous rider to let up the road. Seems to be some bad blood there too, though.Hills3315-07-2026
- Mmm I think he has a grudge against Jorgensen . I have noticed he was never allowed up road what do ever even though he was so far down on GC. Pog is paid to win by his team and unless i am missing the body language they are always laughing and talking. Maybe Pog is the silent assassin lolpaultryan200215-07-2026
- From what he said after Stage 10, Gianetti was mad at him when he couldn't beat Jonas last time on this parcours, so he had to win now. He started looking over his shoulder while still racing down that tricky descent, and kept doing it right to the end, when he had nothing left in his legs. Meantime, Del Toro cracked, and McNulty faded completely. Again, I'm getting this strange feeling that people are watching different races.Hills3315-07-2026
- Isn't it more interesting to watch perfection in action...Pogi-Baby Hulk for the wins... or Baudin's victory against Gaudu and Romo? I just hate those who pray to be given victories. I would kick them out of the sport. And by the way... can someone remind me who said before the Tour: "Only now, after 2 years, does it feel like the old Jonas is back, I'm even stronger now than in 2023. I think I can beat Pogačar again, I've never felt better on a bike, I'm powerful."mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales15-07-2026
- As much as his physiology seems to be unique, at this point if this guy/team get's outed for doing the bad thing - you may as well knock pro-cycling on the head cuz it'll never come back from another scandal of this (hypothetical) magnitude. But it's lucky that big teams are backed by honest transparent organizations like the UAE, otherwise it'd all seem a bit too good to be true.wrsty15-07-2026
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