“Pogačar said he’s better than last year, and I believe him” - Johan Bruyneel’s warning before the Tour de France
Cycling
Tadej Pogacar is scaring the peloton again. Weeks out from the Tour de France, the Slovenian demolished the Tour de Suisse with an authority that has many asking if we’re seeing the best form of his career. Johan Bruyneel certainly thinks this could be the case.
That was precisely the big question tackled by Johan Bruyneel and Spencer Martin on the latest episode of The Move podcast, where they broke down the UAE Team Emirates-XRG leader’s show of force and what it could mean for the Grande Boucle.
Pogacar won three of the five stages in Switzerland and took the overall by 6:32 over Richard Carapaz. Beyond the results, what stood out was the ease with which he controlled every terrain: mountains, time trial, and punchy stages. For Bruyneel, the numbers are impressive, but not the main point.
“What I take from all of this, Spencer, isn’t the numbers. It’s what I saw and especially what Pogacar said. He said: ‘I’m better than last year.’ That’s what sticks with me. And I think he is better. We’ve said it several times, but I really believe he’s better than last year. So everyone will have to raise their level for the Tour,” said the former Belgian sports director.
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Are Pogacar's watts really superior?
Pogacar’s remarks have set off alarm bells among his rivals. The Slovenian already delivered a historic 2024, winning the Giro d’Italia, the Tour de France, and the World Championships, but according to Bruyneel he may have taken another step forward.
The definitive display came on the final stage of the Tour de Suisse. Pogacar attacked more than eight kilometers from the line on a climb averaging close to 8.5% and dropped everyone. Bruyneel highlighted the figures from that ascent.
“I saw some data. It wasn’t an extremely steep climb, but he had a VAM of 1,940 meters per hour. That’s insane. I also read some calculations that put it at close to seven watts per kilo for 27 minutes,” he explained.
Spencer Martin went even further, mentioning estimates that put the world champion at around 7.2W/Kg on the climb to Villars-sur-OIlon. Though both acknowledged the figures are approximate, they agreed the performance was extraordinary.
However, Martin raised an intriguing question. Is he really better than the Pogacar of a year ago? The American analyst recalled some of the Slovenian’s rides at the Critérium du Dauphiné 2025 that he rates among the most impressive ever.
“Yes, he seems better than last year, but is he really? Because last year, at the Dauphiné, he delivered one of the most impressive performances I’ve ever seen. I still don’t know if he’s truly better than that,” Martin commented.
Bruyneel replied that, while exact comparisons are hard, what impresses him most is the gap that still exists to the rest of the field.
“Last year we knew he was incredible because he did those rides against Jonas Vingegaard. Now we don’t know because they’re not facing each other directly. But you see someone like Richard Carapaz try to follow and lose two minutes in just twenty-two minutes of climbing. That’s staggering. I think he’s really in a great place,” he noted.
The sense of superiority is such that both believe the Tour de France once again hinges almost entirely on Vingegaard. For Bruyneel, no other rider seems in position to mount a serious challenge to the Slovenian.
Pogacar dominated the 2026 Tour de Suisse
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“We keep saying it over and over, but it bears repeating. Only Jonas Vingegaard can get close to Pogacar and maybe beat him if something happens. That’s the scenario we’re going to see again,” he said.
Moreover, the Belgian believes UAE arrive at the Tour with an even stronger unit than in previous seasons.
“With this team he has now and all those powerful riders around him, some who were injured are back and stronger. The team is in a very good place,” he explained.
Martin also underlined Pogacar’s versatility across the week. He not only won the queen stage, but also took the time trial by just 31 hundredths of a second over Mathieu van der Poel. A result that shows he remains one of the world’s most complete specialists.
“Watching Pogacar win that time trial is yet another confirmation of just how good he is,” Bruyneel said during the analysis.
For the former US Postal director, the Slovenian has virtually no weaknesses at the moment. Even in a discipline where riders like Remco Evenepoel should make the difference, he believes the gains would be minimal.
“Pogacar is always going to be ten or fifteen seconds from anyone in a time trial, unless it’s a completely flat chrono for pure specialists. He doesn’t need to worry about time trials in stage races,” he explained.
Tadej Pogacar and Marlen Reusser at the 2026 Tour de Suisse
Not even a great Lenny Martinez could match Pogacar in Switzerland
Another performance that impressed the analysts was how he neutralized Lenny Martinez on the final stage. The Frenchman looked set for a prestige win after making the break, but Pogacar reeled him in and rode straight past as if they were in different races.
“He simply mowed him down and went by as if he wasn’t there”, Martin remarked.
The episode’s overall takeaway was clear. Beyond numbers, time gaps, or victories, the visual impression Pogacar is leaving is devastating. It looks as if he’s racing with a fluidity no one else can match.
Martin admitted it’s still hard to compare this version with last year’s, but conceded the level remains frightening. Bruyneel, for his part, had no doubts.
“Even if he’s not better than last year, he was so far ahead of everyone else that they still have a huge problem. Even being the same 2024 Pogacar, the others are in trouble,” he concluded.
With the Tour de France just around the corner, the message from The Move is unequivocal: Pogacar seems to have reached another level. If he truly is better than the rider who won the Giro, Tour, and Worlds in the same season, the rest of the peloton will need more than a simple uptick in form to stop him pulling on yellow again in Paris.
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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- It doesnt take a genius to understand that Pogi is 1 level above and Pogi is younger that Jonas, so Jonas will not win under ordinary circumstances. Pogi has to crack hard for Jonas to win. It doesn't matter whether you defend Jonas or not , facts remain facts. Jonas himself says his numbers are better than 2022/2023, so Jonas is more or less optimized and we are just see the stochastic variation due to other factors. I think he will retire along with Pedersen in WC denmarkabstractengineer13-11-2026
- They only raced each other during the 2026 Tour, but here's a few metrics to look at. Stage 3 (Granollers to Les Angles): Pogačar won the stage, finishing 2 seconds ahead of Vingegaard (2nd). Del Toro finished 24 seconds behind Stage 6 (Pau to Gavarnie-Gedre / Col du Tourmalet): Pogačar won solo, Vingegaard finished 2nd (losing 2:38), and Del Toro finished 3rd (at +2:57, finishing 19 seconds behind Vingegaard). Here, Jonas Vingegaard outclimbed Isaac del Toro by 19 seconds on the mountain stageawp13-11-2026
- your clinging to the past. Jonas was dropped by del toro many times last year and jonas never managed a climbing numers del toro did in dauphine last year -entire year. Trend is also evident theres no discussion your living in the past, its beent he same with jonas for many years now and only developing, meanwhile del toro is rising and developing greatly. This is all obvious stuff and im not even a del toro fan. No point discussing numbers or this i suspect you dont watch much now but rather think its 2022 still cause this aint hard.miguel13-11-2026
- We can go through metrics if you like, Del Toro, who I do admire and support, is not on the same level as Jonas just yet. You will see that in early 2027 if they have any crossover races. I do hope they both race the Giro. You are correct though, Jonas is getting older and will not be able to hand on much longer. I see 2027 as a good year for him. Obviously behind Tadej though.awp13-11-2026
- What wins? Are you LA operating under a pseudonym?mij13-11-2026
- My point is this - Tadej, Remco, Seixas are all the outliers. Many riders don’t hit their peak until 28. It’s way too early to write him off. And the pogi slo guy that hates him - he’s also immature. Ayuso needs time.mij13-11-2026
- Then you need to use ur eyes or head if you have cause del toro already dropped jonas two times and beat him in tdf stages already this year.. Del toro climbed(dauphine) better numbers than jonas did all year too. So ur feelings and wishful thinking doesnt amtter del toro himself has already surpassed jonas infact just facts. Its also very evident for anyone objective that Jonas is declining alot, its just the truth and super obvious.miguel13-11-2026
- None of those victories stand, so there's that,wrsty13-11-2026
- No surprise there; it is British Sycling, yes, with an S
Rafionain-Glas12-11-2026 - I like Del Toro but he's not on the level of Jonas, by a large margin.awp12-11-2026
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