“People think it’s easy to win” - Tadej Pogacar plays down stage clean sweep talk after surprise bunch sprint victory in Romandie

Tadej Pogacar pushed back on growing expectations of total dominance at the 2026 Tour de Romandie after sprinting to a second consecutive stage win, insisting the reality behind his victories is far from straightforward.

The race leader delivered a different kind of performance on stage 2, controlling repeated attacks on the final climb before finishing the job himself in a reduced bunch sprint in Vucherens.

Despite ultimately taking the win, Pogacar revealed the day had not been built around a sprint finish. “No. Yeah, we knew it was going to be a hard day. We put Vegard in front to pull all day,” he said in conversation with Cycling Pro Net. “Other teams had planned to go for the sprint, and when the breakaway went full gas, it also went full gas in the bunch.”

As the race developed, UAE Team Emirates were content to let others take responsibility. “Vegard was already at the limit there, so we didn’t put anybody to the front. We were okay even if the breakaway arrived, it doesn’t hurt.”

It was only when INEOS Grenadiers committed heavily to the chase that the stage was brought back together. “But in the end INEOS was pulling so hard that it came back together.”

From that point, the race shifted into a more familiar pattern. “Then Roglic attacked on the final climb, which made the pace really good for me,” Pogacar said, referencing the acceleration from Primoz Roglic. “I tried to keep it all under control, it was really difficult, but in the end I managed to do a good sprint.”

The finish itself required a measured approach, rather than an early move. “I knew I couldn’t be too far in front because there was a lot of headwind and downhill, so I came with speed from behind.”

That timing proved decisive, as he powered past the remaining contenders to secure the victory.

With two wins already secured, questions have naturally turned to how far Pogacar’s dominance could extend across the week. For the Slovenian, that narrative misses the reality of how those victories are built. “It’s not a goal,” he said when asked about the prospect of winning multiple stages. “People think it’s easy to win, but behind the victory there is always hard work from the team.”

He was quick to shift the focus onto his teammates, highlighting the effort required to sustain that level across a stage race. “You need to understand that guys like Vegard, Felix, Ivo, Pavel, Domen, Kevin, all the guys, they work more, they burn more energy throughout the week than me,” he says. “So we cannot keep burning matches from the guys.”

That perspective also shapes how UAE Team Emirates will approach the remainder of the race. “Even if one day the breakaway arrives and we can take a slower pace, that’s also important for us,” Pogacar added.

Rather than chasing every opportunity, the focus remains on control and energy management across the week. “If I say now that tomorrow will be a quieter day, then everybody will want to go in the breakaway, so it’s not going to be quiet,” he said. “But yeah, we hope to go with our pace, with our plan, and try not to burn too much energy.”

After showing he can now add reduced bunch sprints to his growing list of winning scenarios, Pogacar’s message was clear: the results may look routine, but the effort behind them is anything but.