“May have poked the bear” – Robbie McEwen warns Visma and Jonas Vingegaard that Tour de France Stage 1 success could ignite “fizzing” Tadej Pogacar

Jonas Vingegaard begins Stage 2 of the 2026 Tour de France in yellow, with Tadej Pogacar already 12 seconds behind after Team Visma | Lease a Bike struck first in Barcelona.

Visma won the opening team time trial ahead of Netcompany INEOS and UAE Team Emirates – XRG, beating Pogacar’s team by 11.28 seconds and putting Vingegaard into the first maillot jaune of the race.

Pogacar limited the loss, finished third overall and took the first polka-dot jersey, but the opening exchange between the Tour’s two biggest favourites went to the Dane.

Speaking on TNT Sports’ The Breakaway, Robbie McEwen warned that Visma’s Stage 1 success could provoke a sharp response from Pogacar.

Visma’s victory came after an imperfect run into the Tour. Wout van Aert was ruled out before the race, Eduardo Affini’s start had been uncertain after a crash at the Italian Road Championships, and INEOS arrived with Filippo Ganna and Josh Tarling for a discipline that looked made for them on paper. “It looked like things were unravelling for Team Visma | Lease a Bike before the Tour had started,” said McEwen, a 12-time Tour de France stage winner.

The Australian pointed to the absence of Van Aert and Affini’s disrupted preparation as part of a build-up that had made Visma look vulnerable before Barcelona. “No Van Aert, Affini crashing in the Italian championships,” McEwen said. “Going into this team time trial, feeling like underdogs, everybody saying how much Pog is going to win by.”

Once the clock started, Visma produced the cleanest full ride. They moved ahead by Sagrada Familia, stretched their advantage on the way to Montjuic and still had Matteo Jorgenson and Davide Piganzoli with Vingegaard deep into the finale.

McEwen said there was “something important” about Visma starting as underdogs and “drawing first blood”, even while he still viewed the overall race as Pogacar’s to lose. He also joked that Visma’s ride carried the message: “Pog, who?” before suggesting the Dutch team “may have poked the bear”.

Matt Stephens looked beyond the 12-second gap alone. UAE finished third, kept Pogacar close to the front of the race and placed Isaac del Toro sixth overall after the Mexican helped carry the team through the Montjuic finale. “I’m not super surprised they lost,” Stephens said. “But the fact it’s Jonas who has gone into yellow, Pog is going to be fizzing.”

Pogacar also took the first polka-dot jersey, leaving Barcelona with a jersey of his own even as yellow went to Vingegaard. UAE avoided major damage, but Stephens said the difference came through the collective power Visma had shown earlier in the ride.

“Pogacar is not going to be disappointed with his team,” Stephens said. “They rode the team time trial we thought they would ride, but they just didn’t have the collective heft in the early part to do what Visma did.”

That leaves Vingegaard in yellow before the first road stage, with Pogacar 12 seconds behind and UAE already chasing the jersey they would have wanted to keep away from Visma. “How long does Pog want Jonas to be in that jersey?” Stephens asked.

Stage 2 brings the first road-stage test of the race, with a punchy finale, Pogacar in polka dots and Vingegaard defending yellow for Visma.