Tadej Pogacar wants victory at Tour de France: "There will also be strong competitors so it won’t be straightforward, but we’ll give it a good crack"
Cycling
Tadej Pogacar has not had the perfect preparation towards the Tour de France but the ambition remains the same. After almost a month of training he's got enough form to fight for the win this summer, but he understands the colossal challenge that lays ahead.
"It’s been an unconventional preparation we can say with the wrist injury, but it’s been really good overall," Pogacar said in an extensive interview with The National. "We’ve just finished off an altitude camp in Sierra Nevada, Spain and now we’re heading to do some Tour recons and then back to altitude. It’s intense preparation but that’s what it takes, I guess. I’m enjoying the process."
Ever since he got back on the road in the final days of May, the Slovenian has been putting in the work to arrive at the Tour as well prepared as possible. As his main rival Jonas Vingegaard comfortably dominated the Criterium du Dauphiné, Pogacar was behind schedule in Sierra Nevada. He's since also travelled to Sestrière in the Alps alongside a few of his teammates who will support him in the mountains at the Tour, including Adam Yates who was second at the Dauphiné.
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However this is a difficult Grand Tour to fight for the win if one does not enter with good form already, with several hilly and mountainous stages on the opening week, straight from day one. "We’re straight into the action from Stage 1 as the roads in the Basque Country are infamously tough. There is a huge cycling culture there in the north of Spain, too, so the fans will be out in force. From there we’ll take it day by day but for sure we will see some fireworks in the Alps as usual."
Pogacar will be the leader of a UAE Team Emirates built around him. Adam Yates, Rafal Majka, Marc Soler, Domen Novak and Felix Grossschartner are expected to be announced as his main support for the mountains, whilst he will also be able to count on the support of Mikkel Bjerg and Vegard Stake Laengen for the flat days mainly. Perhaps not a team as strong as Jumbo-Visma, but one that will with no doubt be packed in every finale.
"When you want to win a race, you have to trust the guys around you 100 per cent. We have a great team and understand each other well. There will also be strong competitors so it won’t be straightforward, but we’ll give it a good crack."
With the absence of the likes of Juan Ayuso, João Almeida and Jay Vine the lead will be uncontested, but throughout 21 days a lot can happen. Jonas Vingegaard has been showing a level just as high - if not higher - than last year in the run-up to the Tour, and Pogacar can expect a Jumbo-Visma which is prepared to give him hell throughout the three weeks.
"It’s hard to say for sure but I think we have a nice balance of personalities and characters in the team. When you spend so many days on the road and away from home it’s crucial to have a good group and ambiance. It makes the time away but easier," he concluded.
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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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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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