“Most importantly stay safe” - Tadej Pogacar sent emotional pre-Tour de France message by recovering partner Urska Zigart
Cycling
Tadej Pogacar begins the 2026 Tour de France in Barcelona today, chasing another yellow jersey with UAE Team Emirates – XRG. Before the Grand Depart, his partner Urska Zigart posted a personal message on Instagram, telling him to enjoy the race, make memories with his teammates and “most importantly stay safe.”
The post came only weeks after Zigart’s own heavy crash at the Tour de Suisse Women, where she suffered a fractured jaw after falling in the final kilometre of stage 2 in Locarno. Pogacar later said she was doing much better and was already riding outside again.
“The crowd favorite is back,” Zigart wrote on Instagram. “Another journey around the sun, another pre-Tour post. It goes fast… too fast sometimes. Too fast thinking about the next thing, too fast to realize that what matters is now and the moments we have.”
Zigart’s message before Pogacar’s Tour return
Pogacar starts the Tour as the defending champion and favourite for another yellow jersey, with Jonas Vingegaard again expected to lead the opposition. The race opens with a team time trial in Barcelona rather than a road stage, putting the general classification contenders straight into a high-speed test on day one.
Zigart’s post stayed away from predictions and pressure. Her message focused on the work behind another Tour build-up and the balance Pogacar has kept around it.
“You’ve already done so much, yet you continue to work hard, show up when some would struggle to find motivation and stay humble through it all,” she continued. “Thank you for being unapologetically you, for knowing how to keep things balanced and to always find time to enjoy the little things.”
“Most importantly stay safe”
Zigart’s own return to riding has followed a crash that cut short her Tour de Suisse Women. The 28-year-old Slovenian was taken to hospital after the incident, with her team later confirming the fractured jaw and no other injuries detected. “I hope you enjoy this year’s lap, make some nice memories with the boys and most importantly stay safe,” she wrote, tagging Pogacar in the post.
Zigart also closed with a Slovenian line from poet Josip Osti: “Ko si daleč od mene, sem tudi jaz daleč od sebe.” In English, it translates roughly as: “When you are far from me, I am far from myself too.”
Pogacar’s Tour begins with the first yellow jersey available in Barcelona and three weeks of pressure waiting beyond it. Zigart’s message sent him into the race with a simpler wish: enjoy the lap, make memories, stay safe.
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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leedorney02-11-2026 - Watch the interview on youtube. I don't speak French. I do speak English and Spanish and you can hear it in his voice. Years ago LeMond had real personal problems I imagine in no small part because of Armstrong. then Armstrong goes round "full blast" re: LeMond having drinking and drug problems. The same way Andreu was expelled from mainstream cycling so was LeMond. On the positive side the clips of the ride and chatting with old teammates and was good. To seemed like a fun day and experience and good reason brush up his French.atom02-11-2026
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- It would likely be a very steep section of 4.1 km, not changing the average gradient considerably, with the climb remaining 10.1 km at 11.8%. It would reach 20% on the gravel. It would start 1.6 km in, and finish with 4.2 km left to climb (before the short final descent)
Rafionain-Glas02-11-2026 - Welcome to the off-season.
santiagobenites02-11-2026 - guillaume martin in this list is quite a surprise as a gc rider.Ketterechts02-11-2026
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