Tadej Pogacar's car won't be on Alpe d'Huez - But the Tour de France's leader reveals it was it 2022 much to his regret
Cycling
The Alpe d'Huez is one of the big starts of the 2026 Tour de France. The Alps' most famous climb will host the finale of the final two mountain stages at this year's Grand Boucle; and Tadej Pogacar has a very interesting story from a previous ascent of the Tour where his own car ended up damaged.
This happened in 2022. The previous day, Jonas Vingegaard attacked on the Col du Granon to take the yellow jersey from the Slovenian. On the Alpe d'Huez, Pogacar looked to take it back from the Dane, with the two putting in a strong ascent.
On the crowd was his fiancée Urska Zigart. The one detail that was far from ideal was that the AG Insurance - Soudal rider had taken the couple's personal car to drive up to the mountain, and that was something that Pogacar reminisced on this Monday's rest day press conference.
“I’m kind of happy Urška is not coming up with my car, like last time in 2022. I remember how dirty the car was because all the people were touching it and shaking it," he joked in a light mood.
“So I’m kind of glad I don’t have my personal car up there, because I think it’s going to be crazy.”
Tadej Pogacar at the 2026 Tour de France
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Pogacar looking forward to climb Alpe d'Huez once again
The climb, with its 13 kilometers in distance and 21 hairpins, is one of cycling's most iconic locations. This Friday on stage 19, the peloton will go up it in its totality. On stage 20, it will be only be the final kilometers, as the riders will previously climb the Col de Sarenne.
But competition-wise, the Slovenian will likely be the main favourite to win both stages, and should also tackled them in the yellow jersey.
“It’s going to be fantastic. I hope nothing goes wrong, It’s going to be a great end of the Tour,” he said in anticipation for the weekend's stages.
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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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
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