Stefan Bissegger beats Tadej Pogacar but denied UAE Tour stage win by Joshua Tarling: "I was up against the best in the world today"

In just his second race day for the Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team, Stefan Bissegger has beaten Tadej Pogacar on the stage 2 individual time trial at the 2025 UAE Tour. Sadly for the Swiss powerhouse though, Joshua Tarling was just a little bit faster than both to take the stage win.

"My aim was obviously to win the stage, but I got a bit stuck in the final stretch. But that gives me a lot of confidence, because I feel I can win," reflects Bissegger in comments released via a post-stage press release to Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team's official website. "Everything's new for me this year: the preparation, the equipment, the team managers, and in a time trial, every detail counts. Second place in my first race back proves that we're working in the right direction and that we're getting the hang of things."

"I was up against the best in the world today," Bissegger adds. "I think Joshua Tarling is very strong in these conditions, and to see that I'm close to him gives me confidence for the future. We still have big ambitions this week. I didn't manage to get a win today, but I intend to do everything I can to help the team in the coming days."

For the team too, a positive results such as this at this early part of the season is a good sign of things to come. "We analyzed the weather conditions and chose to send our leader and our best wheelers to the front positions. It was the right strategy, and even if we weren't rewarded with victory, we're satisfied with the team's performance. The wind picked up on the first long straight after the start of the favourites, complicating the rest of the stage, particularly for Bruno Armirail. Despite this, Stefan took a fine second place, while Felix Gall and Paul Seixas finished within the favourites' overall time," explains sports director Cyril Dessel.