“That’s a real flex. ‘I don’t need it’” – Tadej Pogacar’s Tour de France gift to Isaac del Toro labelled clear message to Jonas Vingegaard
Cycling
Tadej Pogacar’s decision to give up a possible stage win and allow his teammate Isaac del Toro to take victory on stage 2 of the 2026 Tour de France has been described as a “real flex” against Jonas Vingegaard by the experts on UK broadcaster TNT Sports.
Del Toro won in Barcelona after a dominant UAE Team Emirates – XRG finale on Montjuic, attacking in the final kilometre before Pogacar followed and chose not to come past him. Vingegaard kept the yellow jersey, but Pogacar still gained bonus seconds and moved to within six seconds of his great rival.
Speaking on TNT Sports’ The Breakaway, Matt Stephens argued that Pogacar’s gesture carried extra weight because of what the world champion appeared to leave on the road.
“As well as generous, that’s a real flex,” Stephens said. “‘I don’t need it.’ That’s a flex against Jonas, who has just won back-to-back Grand Tours.”
Pogacar passes up chance to take even more from Vingegaard
Pogacar already had Del Toro ahead, Vingegaard under pressure behind and Remco Evenepoel trying to close the gap in the final metres. The stage win was there if he wanted it, and Stephens believes there may have been more seconds available too.
“The generosity of a man who is up against his biggest rival, but happy to concede a few seconds,” Stephens said. “Robbie [McEwen] was saying he could have taken five or six seconds. I think he could have. I think Del Toro knows that. But that speaks to the generosity and the class of the human being that Tadej Pogacar is, to give this man an opportunity to win like this.”
The finish came at the end of a stage UAE had shaped from distance. Brandon McNulty drove the pace on Montjuic, Adam Yates helped keep Pogacar and Del Toro in position, and the Mexican responded when Mattias Skjelmose tried to open the race late.
By the final straight, UAE had turned a dangerous Barcelona finale into a one-two finish. Del Toro crossed first for the biggest win of his career, while Pogacar took the bonus seconds he needed to tighten the GC picture without taking the victory himself.
Pogacar gifts Del Toro the stage 2 win
“Like a Secret Service agent”
TNT presenter Orla Chennaoui picked out Pogacar’s body language in the closing metres, comparing the world champion to a bodyguard protecting Del Toro while monitoring the chase behind. “Tadej’s body language was like a Secret Service agent moving through, having the earpiece in, his arm outstretched, making sure his lad was protected,” Chennaoui said.
Adam Blythe saw the same picture in the finale, with Pogacar repeatedly checking over his shoulder as Vingegaard and Evenepoel tried to limit the damage.
“It was incredible. He is bodyguarding him to the finish,” Blythe said. “He’s looking round, making sure no one’s coming. In the meantime, Jonas is on his hands and knees. Remco is coming back. Del Toro almost crashes. But Tadej knows exactly what he’s doing, he knows he’s going to give him the stage.”
That image made the finish look less like a simple lead-out and more like a controlled handover. Pogacar had the space to decide, the strength to wait and the awareness to keep Vingegaard pinned while Del Toro finished the job.
Del Toro now an even bigger UAE weapon
Del Toro’s win also changed the early shape of the Tour. He moved up to fourth overall, took the white jersey and gave UAE another rider already sitting high on GC behind Pogacar.
Stephens believes Pogacar’s decision could be repaid later in the race, especially once the Tour reaches the mountains. “Now what we’re going to see is payback later on in this race,” he said. “We know that Del Toro is an absolute weapon on his bike. To give him that win so early on, this man is going to go so deep and set about the mountains in the next few weeks.”
For Vingegaard, the yellow jersey stayed safe for another day. For Pogacar, Barcelona still delivered a gain on GC, a stage win for his teammate and another sign that UAE may have more than one way to hurt Team Visma | Lease a Bike in the weeks ahead.
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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