"Some of it is also genetic, and that is difficult to explain" - Tadej Pogacar on why he dominates the Tour de France once again
CyclingSaturday, 11 July 2026 at 10:45
The ongoing Tour de France is seeing, for the third year in a row, Tadej Pogacar with a commanding lead. By the time the riders arrive at stage 8 this morning in Périgueux, his lead over his closest rival Jonas Vingegaard is already of 2:42 minutes. How does he justify such gap?
“There are many factors that come into it. First of all, I have to thank my parents. They apparently raised me well," the yellow jersey said in a press conference following the seventh stage of the race, in which he was able to take it easier due to the flat nature of the day.
“When I was young, I was already part of a good cycling club. I made friends on the bike and we dreamed big together. When you grow up in an environment like that, you naturally develop this kind of mentality".
A genetic anomaly at the Tour de France
Thus far, able to make the difference, Pogacar has not waited or raced conservatively. On the first mountain stage of the race, he attacked the Col du Tourmalet after UAE Team Emirates - XRG st him up.
He carved a gap of around 30 seconds to Jonas Vingegaard on the Pyrenean monster, and then multiplied that give by five in the following descent and long but slight climb to the line in Gavarnie.
His riders feel in the legs what he argues: "But some of it is also genetic, and that is difficult to explain.” Pogacar looks to simply be a level above the rest, as a climber but also in other aspects on the bike.
Tadej Pogacar is currently in a commanding lead at the Tour de France
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A more resistant and complete athlete then in the Tours he lost
The Slovenian was already the winner of the 2020 and 2021 editions, but the following two years he was beaten by Jonas Vingegaard. The two were very evenly matched, but Pogacar experienced a bad day in both editions that created the losing margins.
“The biggest change since that final collapse in 2023 is mainly in my physical capacity. I am better than I was then, and mentally I have also grown. I have gained experience," he stated. Pogacar has become a rider who resists such bad days much better, making his armour for stage-races almost untouchable.
Changes in training and nutrition that have taken place over the past few years have brought out the best of the World Champion, who is much better adapted to race under the brutal physical conditions of the Tour de France.
“One of the biggest changes within the team has been in nutrition. During this Tour de France, my body temperature is simply lower than it was in 2022 or in the Tours before that. There is more focus now.”
"I think one of the biggest changes that we could make as a team is improving the organization around feeding, hydration and nutrition. This Tour is hellishly hot, and my body temperature is probably cooler than it was in 2022 or during any Tour before," he argues.
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’s a long race - lots can happenCrashjames11-07-2026
- Projection - “if I was JV, I’d probably climb off” - but, Wiggins, you aren’t even in the same league as JV.Crashjames11-07-2026
- There should be a survey of TV ratings as well as the size of crowds at cycling events, ever since Pogacar burst onto the scene - especially for those races in which he is participating. That would give you the correct picture.Cooldude11-07-2026
- There's a reason why he's a champion and they're not. Hate him or not he's racing to win or get damn near close instead or trying just to settle for 3rdbruins3011-07-2026
- In retrospect he (and the chasing group) might have minimised the gap if they'd worked together right after the descent. Visma had planned to place Jorgensen ahead there to pull Jonas, so at the start of the day he had been expecting help there. Then he could have ridden away in the last kilometres.Hills3311-07-2026
- At last we see the name of the great MVDP mentioned in the news.. How can this guy perform when he himself says he finds it boring? He already knows he can't win before the race even started. So disappointing, for someone who's always in the conversation when talking about great cyclists. Good advice though.. great riders race to win, or stay at home.. For me, he's very good.. but is somewhat like a spoiled brat (rides around in a Lambo, flies to races in his own jet..) Just kidding.. he's okay..FredMan11-07-2026
- Reduced to doing anything to attract attention. How the mighty have fallen.Renz11-07-2026
- Not sure how he'd have "gotten in the way" of the sprint and then ended up 9 seconds back, but it's not impossible, I guess.acem8211-07-2026
- Some one needs to drug test Wiggins with that comment!frieders311-07-2026
- You are aware of how much time they gained on him as he faded, yes? He went from being a minute ahead to being all of 20 seconds ahead. It was a bad day for him.RidesHills11-07-2026
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