“Sometimes it kills the race a bit” – Former Tour de France stage winner laments Tadej Pogacar's “regrettable” domination
Cycling
Former Tour de France stage winner Cyril Saugrain has admitted that Tadej Pogacar’s dominance is beginning to strip the unpredictability from major races — even if the Slovenian’s brilliance is undeniable.
Speaking to Cyclism'Actu, Saugrain said he “100%” agrees with Thomas Voeckler’s assessment that the suspense is often gone long before the finale.
“It’s a shame because we’re living through great moments,” Saugrain said. “But remember, there were plenty of days when Merckx went alone from 100 kilometres out too.” For him, the issue is not the quality of the champion, but the effect on the racing. “When you look at the World Championships or the European Championships, yes, sometimes it kills the race a bit.”
He pointed to Pogacar’s solo superiority at key moments of 2025: “There was a race happening up front with this guy, cruising around and dominating.” While he called that “regrettable,” Saugrain stressed it must be kept in perspective. “We have a guy who dominates — we’re not going to say that isn’t a good thing. You have to find the positives.”
“We’re lucky cycling has changed” – but dominance still carries a cost
Interestingly, Saugrain is far from anti-Pogacar. In fact, he believes the sport is in a healthier place stylistically thanks to the new generation of attacking stars. He praised the shift away from the formulaic “control and protect the leader” racing that defined previous eras, arguing that modern aggressors — from Mathieu van der Poel to Tom Pidcock — have transformed race dynamics.
“We’re lucky to have an attacking cycling now,” he said, noting how riders are far more willing to detonate races earlier. Yet even within this more open, thrilling style, Pogacar’s supremacy remains something of an immovable object. Saugrain didn’t shy from the scale of what we are witnessing, calling the world champion “an inter-generational rider” and openly posing the question: is he already one of the greatest in history?
Wider concerns: structural issues beneath the spectacle
Beyond individual dominance, Saugrain also touched on broader concerns about the direction of the sport. While he expressed no fear for the WorldTour — highlighting that the biggest teams, including UAE Team Emirates - XRG, operate on unshakeable budgets — he admitted deep worry for the amateur and development tiers.
“The real problem is at the base,” he warned, pointing to shrinking budgets, structural instability and a generation of young riders convinced that if they are not professional at 19, their careers are finished.
Saugrain also added weight to the ongoing debate over television rights and revenue distribution. Though he rejected the idea of putting organisers “under pressure,” he argued that if new income streams do exist, they should cascade down to smaller structures and the amateur scene where, he believes, “the needs are real.”
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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leedorney02-11-2026 - Watch the interview on youtube. I don't speak French. I do speak English and Spanish and you can hear it in his voice. Years ago LeMond had real personal problems I imagine in no small part because of Armstrong. then Armstrong goes round "full blast" re: LeMond having drinking and drug problems. The same way Andreu was expelled from mainstream cycling so was LeMond. On the positive side the clips of the ride and chatting with old teammates and was good. To seemed like a fun day and experience and good reason brush up his French.atom02-11-2026
- and another no-news article around the ‚2 tokyo jogging rounds‘ headline, this time spiced with some days old ‚news‘ that the LA and japan vacation trips come during or after the tdf route release. i am getting more and more annoyed by this time-stealing no-news crap. but who am i to complain? nobody forces me to come back for more ‚news‘ day after day …Ketterechts02-11-2026
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Rafionain-Glas02-11-2026 - Welcome to the off-season.
santiagobenites02-11-2026 - guillaume martin in this list is quite a surprise as a gc rider.Ketterechts02-11-2026
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