“Pogacar was just looking at Vingegaard, just staring at him” – David Millar hails world champion’s Tour gift to Isaac del Toro as “something not seen in years”

David Millar was struck by the way Tadej Pogacar held himself back in the finale of stage 2 at the 2026 Tour de France, as the world champion watched Jonas Vingegaard and allowed Isaac del Toro to take victory in Barcelona.

Del Toro won on Montjuic after a dominant UAE Team Emirates – XRG performance, attacking in the final kilometre before Pogacar followed and then chose not to come past his teammate. The result gave Del Toro the biggest win of his career, while Pogacar still gained bonus seconds and moved closer to Vingegaard’s yellow jersey.

Speaking on the For the Love of Cycling podcast, Millar focused on the way Pogacar appeared to hold himself back while Del Toro drove towards the line, watching Vingegaard rather than launching the attack many expected.

The final climb had already reduced the race to a small group of favourites. Tiesj Benoot had driven hard for Decathlon CMA CGM Team, Mattias Skjelmose then tried to open the race with a late attack, and Del Toro responded before turning the final run-in into a full-gas effort of his own. “Tiesj Benoot did an amazing ride the last time up the climb, and then Skjelmose went,” Millar said. “Del Toro came from nowhere, covering and chasing, and then came into the bottom and just went flat out.”

“It was just amazing to watch. Pogacar was there with Vingegaard, and you saw Pogacar all of a sudden," continued the British former Tour stage winner. "You were expecting him to explode at any moment.”

That attack never came. Pogacar paused instead, watching Vingegaard while Del Toro pushed on towards the Olympic Stadium. “He hesitated, didn’t he?” Millar continued. “He hesitated, and then he looked around. He was just looking at Vingegaard, just staring at him, and then looking at Del Toro.”

For Millar, the striking part was not simply that Pogacar gifted the stage. It was the way he appeared to control two races at once: guarding against Vingegaard while urging Del Toro towards the line.

“You could see him thinking, going, ‘Go, Isaac. Go, Isaac. Go, Isaac,’” Millar said. “And then he just sat there, just holding himself. I haven’t seen that in many years, a ride like that.”

The gesture came at the end of a stage UAE had controlled from distance. Brandon McNulty put the peloton under pressure on Montjuic, Adam Yates helped keep the team’s leaders in position, and Del Toro then became more than a support rider in the finale.

His acceleration forced the response behind and left Pogacar in an almost ideal position. The Slovenian could watch Vingegaard, protect his own GC gain and still allow Del Toro to take the biggest victory of his career. “He was just willing him on,” Millar added.

Del Toro’s win also changed the early shape of the race. He moved up to fourth overall, took the white jersey and gave UAE another major card behind Pogacar, who now sits second overall, six seconds behind Vingegaard.

Pogacar left Barcelona closer to yellow without needing to win the stage himself. Del Toro left with a career-defining Tour victory, and UAE left with another reminder that their strongest card may no longer be their only one.