“Maintaining suspense in this Tour de France is going to be difficult” – Romain Gregoire admits Tadej Pogacar’s dominance is leaving rivals “a little demoralised”
CyclingMonday, 13 July 2026 at 14:30
Tadej Pogacar has reached the first rest day of the 2026 Tour de France with a 2:42 lead over Jonas Vingegaard and an increasingly firm grip on the race. Inside the peloton, Romain Gregoire admits belief in a genuine yellow-jersey fight is already beginning to fade.
The recently crowned French champion has also described the effect of UAE Team Emirates – XRG’s aggressive control on the riders trying to find opportunities elsewhere, with even the logic behind some of their pursuits proving difficult for rival teams to read.
“Pogacar still looks a clear level above, so I think maintaining suspense in this Tour de France is going to be difficult,” Gregoire told RMC Sport. “But yes, Vingegaard beat him at Le Lioran two years ago, so why not again tomorrow? Why not bring a little suspense back into the race? Honestly, though, considering the strength of UAE and Pogacar at the start of this Tour, and even over the last few months or the last few years, it seems more than difficult to me.”
Pogacar created the bulk of his advantage on Stage 6, dropping Vingegaard on the Col du Tourmalet before completing a 43-kilometre solo ride to Gavarnie-Gedre. He won by 2:38 over the Dane, having started the day level with him on accumulated time.
“It is certainly a little demoralising”
UAE’s influence has extended beyond the general classification battle. The team has repeatedly helped close down breakaways, including on Stage 3 to Les Angles, where Pogacar eventually collected the victory and bonus seconds after another forceful finale from his teammates.
Sunday’s shortened stage to Ussel produced a similar pursuit. Mathieu van der Poel narrowly held off the reduced peloton after spending the day in the breakaway, with the attackers almost caught within sight of the line.
“It is certainly a little demoralising,” Gregoire said of UAE’s racing. “I also followed Sunday’s stage from a distance, and I think even they did not really know why they were riding, so it is obviously quite difficult to plan strategies when the other teams do not really know what approach to take, even during the race itself.
“Considering the physical difference we can see between their team and ours, I don’t think we should necessarily worry about them and their tactics," he added. “We have to ride our own race, try what we need to try, and then we will need that extra little bit of luck for it to come off.”
Pogacar has not been UAE’s only threat. Isaac del Toro won Stage 2 in Barcelona, played a key role in the Les Angles finale and delivered the acceleration which launched Pogacar’s Tourmalet attack. The Mexican reaches the rest day third overall, 3:27 behind his leader and only three seconds ahead of Remco Evenepoel.
Pogacar leads Vingegaard by 2:42 at the first rest day
Gregoire still searching for his opening
Gregoire’s assessment follows a punishing first week of his own. After beginning well in Barcelona, he struggled to recover in the heat and endured what he called one of the hardest racing days of his career on the road to Gavarnie-Gedre.
He was seen in tears after finishing the Tourmalet stage, having reached the point where he could no longer control his physical or emotional reaction. His condition improved over the weekend, although he accepts that opportunities for riders outside the Tour’s dominant names have become increasingly scarce.
“When you look at the outcome of this first week, you realise that, as happens every year, only global superstars are capable of winning at the Tour de France,” he said. “There is no room for the other riders, so it still looks extremely difficult. But you must not lose hope, otherwise you might as well stay at home. We are going to try to fight and hang on in the hope of producing an exceptional performance.”
The French champion intends to look for an opening immediately on the Bastille Day stage to Le Lioran, even though its climbing-heavy finale appears better suited to the pure climbers.
His more realistic target comes later in the week on the road to Belfort. The stage passes through his home region, with family and friends expected beside the road, although the Ballon d’Alsace places it towards the upper edge of what Gregoire believes he can handle.
He knows the climb, knows the roads and expects Groupama - FDJ United to race aggressively. Against Pogacar and UAE’s current level, familiarity and timing may be the few advantages still available.
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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