“Pogacar could win ten stages if he wants to”: Astana rider slams 2026 Tour de France route

Mike Teunissen is expected to line up for his seventh Tour de France this summer, but the Dutch rider has admitted he was not particularly eager to return. The XDS Astana Team rider revealed he had informed his team that a Tour appearance was not a priority for him this year, citing the increasingly demanding nature of modern Tour routes. Despite those reservations, Teunissen is set to start in Barcelona and will once again play a key role in the team's sprint ambitions.

Teunissen explained that he had initially been uncertain about racing the Tour this season. “I told XDS Astana that I didn’t necessarily want to do it this year, but they keep coming back to me,” he said in a recent interview. “And in the end, you don’t say no to the Tour de France. It remains the biggest race of the year.”

According to Teunissen, the modern Tour offers very few realistic opportunities for riders of his profile. “What I find disappointing is that it has become so difficult,” he said. “Pogacar could win ten stages this year if he wants to. There is very little left for the sprinters, but even less for the classics riders.”

He argued that stages traditionally considered suitable for powerful all-rounders now often favour lighter climbers capable of producing elite climbing numbers. “The stages that are supposedly designed for that type of rider are won by someone like Ben Healy,” Teunissen explained. “Then there is still a steep climb where a rider like Healy attacks at seven watts per kilogram. There is simply nothing I can do in that situation.”

As a result, Teunissen admitted that many days can feel frustrating. “That’s why I told the team how I felt, because I often spend the day waiting for the moment when I get dropped.”

Teunissen also believes the overall level of professional cycling has risen dramatically over the past decade, noting that advantages once gained through experience are becoming increasingly difficult to find. “In the past, you could still gain an advantage through things like nutrition or course knowledge, but that hardly works anymore,” he said. “I’m getting better myself, but everyone else is improving too.”

At this year’s Tour, Teunissen’s primary responsibility will be supporting German sprinter Max Kanter, who has emerged as one of Astana’s fastest finishers. “My main role in the Tour de France will be as Max Kanter’s lead-out rider,” Teunissen said.

The Dutchman believes Kanter could be one of the underdogs of the race. “What can he do? Well, he won a stage at Paris-Nice earlier this year. I wouldn’t say it’s impossible for him to win a stage at the Tour de France. To be honest, I wouldn’t be surprised.”

Teunissen even suggested that a Kanter stage victory would be less unexpected than his own famous win on the opening stage of the 2019 Tour de France in Brussels. “It would certainly be less of a surprise than when I managed to win in Brussels,” he concluded.