“Mathieu, if you’re hearing this: you’re causing stress in my dreams" - Tadej Pogacar on how van der Poel visited his dreams during Tour de France
Cycling
Tadej Pogacar has become accustomed to the figure of Mathieu van der Poel lurking in his shadows in the classics, but a dream during the Tour de France almost served as a warning for what was to come later in the race.
The Dutchman and Pogacar have entertained as the greatest of rivals in classics such as Milano-Sanremo, Tour of Flanders and Paris Roubaix over recent seasons, with the two often leaving the rest behind on climbs and extending that gap over fast-and-furious descents and relentless efforts across all terrain.
Sunday's Tour finale in Paris was no different as the pair renewed hostilities. however, it was not the first time in the race for Pogacar to be in competition with van der Poel - in the mental sense at least.
In a behind-the-scenes video released by UAE Team Emirates-XRG, Pogacar told his teammates that he had a visit from van der Poel in his Tour dreams. In the dream, the pair were pushing the limits of a descent before Pogacar dreamt he crashed.
“I dreamed I was riding at the front with Van der Poel and that we went into a descent like crazy. A crazy downhill,” Pogacar said.
Tadej Pogacar, star of UAE Team Emirates XRG.
Pogacar's 'crazy' dream about van der Poel
“I dreamed that we were riding our bikes along the guardrails—the barriers that stop cars from going off the road. Then I suddenly hit the guardrail. It was crazy.”
The heart-racing moment as he slept had a physical impact on him, as he checked his Whoop monitoring device, with the metric that measured the level of stress in his body signalling that it had increased as a result. In a light-hearted quip to the camera at the end of the story, Pogacar sent a message to his rival.
“Then I checked my Whoop stress and it was extremely high. It must have been because of that downhill dream.
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Pogacar's stress spikes
“My stress is always very low at the beginning and in the middle of the night, but when I start dreaming in the morning, my stress goes through the roof.
He added: “Mathieu, if you’re hearing this: you’re causing stress in my dreams.”
Pogacar's nocturnal preparation for doing battle with van der Poel didn't pay dividends on the Champs-Elysees as van der Poel's last-gasp burst shook off the yellow jersey.
After breaking clear together on the Montmartre climb, their effort to hold off the sprinters proved too much for Pogacar in the sprint to the line as van der Poel held for victory in a photo finish ahead of Jasper Philipsen.
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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- for what?frieders311-11-2026
- Blah blah blah!frieders311-11-2026
- Where Merckx just rode every single race he could and won all the time, Hinault won less often (percentage wise) because he was more judicious in what he raced. His palmares are nuts. He had amazing rivals, one to start his career and another to end it in the grand tours. His classics were solid. What sets him apart from Merckx and Pogačar are that he basically dabbled in the classics while the other two love(d) them. I used to compare Pogačar to Hinault for his grand tour record and occasional classics win, until I realized that the comparison was wrong. Pogačar loves the classics - ah, the memory of his reaction to finishing fourth in a 2 person sprint in Flanders in ‘22: utter domination in any one day race since then, even when he doesn’t win. Hinault lived for the grand tours and I don’t think anyone else will ever reach his record. 10 wins in 13 attempts? Good lord. An amazing rider. Wish there was more footage to watch.RidesHills11-11-2026
- 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
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