"One and a half hours less obligations" - Tadej Pogacar drops Tour de France yellow jersey in favour of long-term vision
CyclingTuesday, 07 July 2026 at 19:18
On the fourth day of the Tour de France, Tadej Pogacar wore the yellow jersey and took to the start as the race leader for the first time this year. It was a short stint, as the day's breakaway took the spotlight and in the process, Torstein Traeen captured the race lead. The UAE Team Emirates - XRG was happy to let it go, in favour of not undergoing the extra responsibilities that would keep him away from the ideal recovery.
"We kept it cool in this heat. It was really when we started, I had a full headache and was thinking this is going to be one long day," Pogacar told to several news outlets in Foix, as reported by Cyclingnews. The previous day.
The Slovenian did not mind sharing this after the stage, in a day where he was never likely to be tested by his main rivals, as it was the 'easiest' stage of the race up until this Tuesday afternoon. The route from Carcassonne to Foix was anything but flat, but the ascents were not overly challenging for the race's strongest climbers and so the status quo of remaining conservative held strongly.
"We knew if Trek would go in the breakaway, or such a team, that it would probably be a breakaway day. Trek did a super good job, they had three guys in the front and we kept it cool, calm and we arrived to finish, I think not spending a crazy amount of energy".
UAE refuse to burn bullets chasing the breakaway
With the race lead on their shoulders and the refusal from other teams to share the workload, Nils Politt, Florian Vermeersch and Tim Wellens all put in long stints at the head of the peloton - part of an unwritten rule of cycling, which dictates the leader's team controls the peloton.
"Obviously, when you need to pull because of the jersey, you spend a bit, but I think Nils, Florian and Tim were super good today at dividing the work and I think we did a good job. A good day overall." The team did end up spending a lot of time at the head of the peloton, but the pace was never quite high, and the loss of 13 minutes to the winning breakaway displayed well how the team looked to give their riders an easier day.
Another benefit from this held back performance is the extra time to recover. "I think you cannot measure some days probably, it's a lot of stress with media, some days it's easy to do it. It just depends on the day, and it's hard to tell".
Tadej Pogacar crossed the finish line in no rush to save his yellow jersey
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More time for recovery after dropping the yellow jersey
Pogacar soared into the yellow jersey following his win in Les Angles. But whilst most riders would grab onto the yellow jersey at the Tour with a firm hold, for Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard the mission is clear: Win the Tour de France.
For that, they need as efficient recovery as possible, and naturally that depends on the time available following the stages. The yellow jersey of the Tour de France will have to be present at the podium ceremonies, press conference and will usually arrive at the team's hotel quite later than his teammates - often not on the team bus, and often to a dinner without teammates. Pogacar looks to avoid this when possible and logic.
"I've been back on the podium a lot of times and a lot of times doing the extra work. Today will be one and a half hours less obligations, so it definitely helps with the recovery," he explains. In a race where no detail is overlooked, the extra recovery can have a meaningful impact in the long-term.
"But I think now I'm pretty used to also doing all the podium stuff and we have a good protocol. I have good helpers and people to help me stay cool and calm and recover as best as possible, even when we have the podium."
Pogacar dropped back to fourth in the overall classification, 7:53 minutes behind the new yellow jersey Torstein Traeen. "I mean, obviously the goal is to take back the yellow jersey," Pogacar assured, but this lead may last for a few days - even considering the ascent of the Col du Tourmalet set for Thursday afternoon.
"But you never know, they are really good and now it's quite a big gap, so we will see, no? We will fight, but I think they can keep the yellow jersey in the team for a long time."
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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liborio07-07-2026 - Not even close. De Lie has a history of serious good results. Uijtdebroeks not so much..mobk07-07-2026
- Sounds like a heroic sacrificial tragedy from the Lord of the Rings... "You go on... I can't do it..."
Rafionain-Glas07-07-2026 - Harrumph... What about red cards being suspended... ring any bells?Rafionain-Glas07-07-2026
- It's hard to argue against any of thatRafionain-Glas07-07-2026
- This is a cycling site. try to keep up.
ScottG07-07-2026 - I agree with you, mus. I can't believe it.
KerisVroom07-07-2026 - Translation of his comment - "we need someone, anyone who may be able to beat Tadej!"
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- Boring... Jonas is your man.mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales07-07-2026
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