“Should he keep winning and winning and winning?” – Tyler Hamilton defends Tadej Pogacar’s sacrifice for Del Toro on Tour de France Stage 20
CyclingSunday, 26 July 2026 at 11:00
Tadej Pogacar did not respond when Remco Evenepoel attacked in the closing kilometres of stage 20 at the 2026 Tour de France. Instead, the yellow jersey remained alongside Isaac Del Toro, putting aside another possible stage victory to help his UAE Team Emirates – XRG teammate secure third place overall.
The decision turned the dominant race leader into a support rider and prompted contrasting verdicts from three former professionals on Danish broadcaster TV 2.
“Should he keep winning and winning and winning?”
Pogacar began working for Del Toro over the Col du Galibier as UAE looked to distance Paul Seixas, who had started the day only 20 seconds behind the Mexican in the fight for third overall.
Even after Seixas had lost contact, Pogacar continued to set the pace for his teammate. When Evenepoel accelerated with approximately 2.5 kilometres remaining, the Slovenian stayed with Del Toro and allowed the Belgian to ride clear.
“I think it was pretty cool that he did that,” said former Tour de France stage winner Tyler Hamilton. “It’s something we’re not used to seeing, the yellow jersey pulling on the work clothes."
“He led by over six minutes in the general classification, so what’s the problem? Should he keep winning and winning and winning?" asked the American. "He’s won five stages in this year’s Tour. He gave something back to his teammate.”
Pogacar had produced a record-breaking ride on Alpe d’Huez only 24 hours earlier to take his fifth victory of the race. Del Toro’s success on stage two had already increased UAE’s total to six. “It shows what kind of person he is,” Hamilton continued. “It’s not just about him, and he loves giving back to the team.”
Tadej Pogacar in action at the 2026 Tour de France
A strange sight in the yellow jersey
Danish former professional Emil Mielke Vinjebo admitted that Pogacar taking responsibility for Del Toro required some adjustment.
“At first it was a strange sight and something I had to get used to,” the TV 2 analyst said. “But the more I think about it, the more I actually like it.”
The contrast with stage 19 was stark. Pogacar had attacked 12 kilometres from the summit of Alpe d’Huez, overhauled the breakaway and recorded the fastest ascent in the history of the climb. One day later, he surrendered the chance to pursue another victory.
“Pogacar smashed everyone on Alpe d’Huez, and that says a lot about who he is and how little he really cares about winning another stage. It’s more about helping his teammates,” Vinjebo said. “He thinks outside the box rather than following cycling’s ABC.”
“A bit unworthy in the yellow jersey”
Former Giro d’Italia stage winner Lars Bak offered a more critical assessment.
Bak questioned during the TV 2 commentary why Pogacar did not ride away from Del Toro with 2.5 kilometres remaining, when the stage victory still appeared to be within reach. He also noted that Pogacar stayed with the Mexican when Evenepoel made his move.
“I think in a way it’s a bit unworthy in the yellow jersey to ride as a support rider,” Bak said.
The Dane tempered that criticism by acknowledging the position UAE had created. Pogacar’s yellow jersey was effectively secure, while Del Toro’s podium remained the team’s final unresolved objective.
Bak believed Pogacar would have followed Evenepoel if the Belgian had been closer to the stage win. With Del Toro’s third place protected, however, the teammates chose to finish the final mountain stage together.
Pogacar and Del Toro crossed the line fourth and fifth, 1:05 behind Richard Carapaz. Seixas conceded 1:50 to the UAE pair, increasing Del Toro’s advantage in the battle for the final podium place from 20 seconds to 2:14.
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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- As the great British mountaineer George Mallory once said, when asked why he wanted to climb Mount Everest, "because it's there..", it means people respond to challenges. Record keepers like records.. record makers like challenges. Tadej calls it goals. It's personal.FredMan27-07-2026
- Best finish to a TDF ever! Such an epic finale.Pedalmasher27-07-2026
- Why is his responsibility to keep Isaac in contract? He gave away stage victory to Rafal previously. He wasn't as strong as he is now when Adam got his podium. He cracked. He was suffering from bad knee last year when Almeida was riding for him. What happened this year that afford this generosity is due to a combination of factors: - Isaac could keep up if proper pacing - Most importantly, the gap to his next nearest competitor is big. You probably won't see this happening again because the conditions may not afford this luxury in the future.
KerisVroom27-07-2026 - Not even close skattie, not even close. Why should I not say that to you? Why does it make you uncomfortable? As for my sexual orientation you keep on guessing as it seems to fascinate you so much and you might get it right one day although it has sweet FA to do with you. Soentjies vir jou.
Andrew26-07-2026 - And so what?Jakob26-07-2026
- He can easily drop Remco anytime and Remco cannot even respond so what's the point. Besides Remco is too sycophantic of Pogi. In contrast Carapaz dealt with Pogi in his own way.abstractengineer26-07-2026
- Come now, you can't just copy someone else's quote sourcing, Mou...
Rafionain-Glas26-07-2026 - It's of note that Phillipsen seemed to forgo the last few couple pedal strokes so he wouldn't overtake VDP by the finish. Regardless, he seemed legitimately overjoyed for his teammate, which was nice to see.
MarkFour26-07-2026 - Another terrible author. Watched this from every angle. At no time did any part of his body ever contact the net. He even said so in his interview.zaz26-07-2026
- He claims not to be, but he’s a record seeker. At least 6 Tours. 4 Flanders. Paris-Roubaix and thus all the Monuments. 6 Lombardias. The Vuelta to get all the grand tours. Finish up all the other major races. And a few other things I’m not thinking of at the moment. Does anyone doubt he’s going for all this?!RidesHills26-07-2026
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