"There were moments when I was struggling" - Tadej Pogacar unable to drop Vingegaard on Mont Ventoux
Cycling
Was this Tadej Pogacar's biggest test of the Tour de France thus far? Whilst the stage overall was much easier than the days in the Pyrenees, the yellow jersey was put under serious pressure from Jonas Vingegaard for the first time since the race entered the mountains.
"I knew from the very start that Vingegaard was feeling good, so I was ready for what was to come. We've done our job, on to the next one," Pogacar said in a post-race interview. UAE Team Emirates - XRG placed Marc Soler and Pavel Sivakov in the breakaway anticipating moves on the final ascent, but both did not play a role in the stage.
Pogacar had to follow Vingegaard's many attacks on the steep slopes of Ventoux, and the Dane followed his own two teammates after attacking the race. There were virtually no tactics deployed in Provence this Tuesday by the Tour's two main favourites, but instead an impressive display of power - Pogacar is the new record holder of the climb, as both climbed it in just under 55 minutes.
"My form is good, but it was quite scary to come out of the rest day and immediately have to tackle Mont Ventoux. But I came out of it well. Luckily, I didn't have the same legs as in 2021. We weren't really interested in winning the stage; the breakaway deserved it," he said.
After surviving several attacks, Pogacar put in his own with around 2 kilometers to go. But Vingegaard responded strongly - and then even attacked again himself. "I tried to attack once, but that might not have been the smartest move. You're better off not blowing yourself up, so I followed Jonas as much as possible," he explains.
"There were moments when I was struggling; it was one full-throttle effort to the finish. With 800 meters to go, I saw the leaders; with one more effort, it might have been ours." Still, with a late acceleration, he gained 2 seconds on the Dane.
The gap to Vingegaard is of 4:15 minutes now, ahead of the Alps showdown. "There were so many people on the sidelines. The Alps will be amazing, with a lot of Slovenians along the road for me and Primoz. It's going to be a race all the way to Paris, for sure," he concluded.
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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- Love this guy. He is such a pure racer.mij07-11-2026
- Fair enough. Everyone’s entitled to one and I respect yours! Nothing wrong with being a one week and GT guy if that’s his vibemij07-11-2026
- LOL...it's a predetermined finish ! N one is 'clashing' at these exhibition crits!frieders307-11-2026
- Surely the UCI and the race organisers have a responsibility to ensure the best medical care is available to riders when incidents like this happen. All very well pushing for global expansion but not so good if riders lives are put at risk because medical support is not up to scratch.Andy12306-11-2026
- Well it clearly helps that this was Pidcock's own car, no?Occam06-11-2026
- The American performance at the World's road race was a masterclass in cycling tactics. If it wasn't McNulty, it might well have been Jorgensen or Simmons to take off and win in a solo break.Occam06-11-2026
- What a gimmick
Rafionain-Glas06-11-2026 - Thats only cause he rides for UAE. In any other team he would be captain in many races atleast. UAE is just to crazymiguel06-11-2026
- He seems to be the rare athlete whose passion and curiosity about life beyond his sport equals his extraordinary achievements in it. It would be great for him to risk less of that life. He seems very grateful and joyful for what he has already attained.
MarkFour06-11-2026 - As much as I admire and even revere Wout, the less I know about his backside the better.MidnightRider06-11-2026
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