“Pogacar? It is already settled” - Legendary Bernard Hinault expects Tadej Pogacar to join him in Tour de France’s five-time winners club
CyclingSaturday, 04 July 2026 at 18:00
Tadej Pogacar starts the 2026 Tour de France one victory away from the race’s most exclusive club. Bernard Hinault, already inside it, does not expect the Slovenian to be kept waiting much longer.
Pogacar is chasing a fifth yellow jersey this summer, a number only Hinault, Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx and Miguel Indurain have reached. Speaking before the Grand Depart in Barcelona, Hinault backed the defending champion to join them in three weeks’ time.
“Pogacar? It is already settled,” said Hinault on RMC’s Grandes Gueules du Sport.
“It’s certain, for me it is already settled. When you see everything he has done since the start of the season... And what he has in front of him gives him extra energy. Unless there is an incident, he is not going to give them any gifts. For me, he is the winner.”
Hinault expects Pogacar to reach cycling’s rarest number
Pogacar arrives in Barcelona as defending Tour champion, world champion and the central figure in the race once again. UAE Team Emirates – XRG have built their July around him, with the opening team time trial giving the Slovenian an immediate route towards the first yellow jersey before the race reaches a road stage.
Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel, Florian Lipowitz and the rest of the GC field all begin with their own routes to unsettling him. Hinault spoke of that opposition as another part of Pogacar’s strength. “And what he has in front of him gives him extra energy,” he said.
Hinault won the Tour in 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982 and 1985. Anquetil, Merckx and Indurain are the only other riders to reach five. Pogacar now begins the Tour with that group in reach, but Hinault does not expect the record chase to dominate his thinking. “You always have to stay hungry and have the desire to enjoy yourself,” said Hinault. “I do not think he is thinking about the record, but about enjoying himself.”
Seixas warning as Pogacar blocks the road ahead
Hinault was also asked about Paul Seixas, the 19-year-old Frenchman starting his first Tour de France with huge attention around him. Seixas has already pushed himself into a different level of expectation in 2026, but Hinault refused to place him near Pogacar before the race has tested him over three weeks.
“He might play with him,” Hinault said of Pogacar. “He is there to win, the rest he does not care about.”
The Tour now asks Seixas for something different from promise: 21 days, mountain finishes, recovery, pressure and repeated accelerations from riders who have already decided Grand Tours.
“You cannot say that today,” Hinault said when asked whether Seixas could become the rider France has been waiting for. “When he has done the Tour de France, we will know much more about his capabilities over 21 days, and especially after mountain finishes with the big boys. As long as Pogacar is there, I think it will be difficult.”
Pogacar begins in Barcelona with the first yellow jersey available on stage 1 and a fifth Tour title available in Paris. Hinault already expects his five-win club to gain a new member.
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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