“They’re going to risk their lives” – The Move podcast analyses Pogacar’s level at the Tour de France

In the latest episode of The Move podcast, Lance Armstrong, Sir Bradley Wiggins, George Hincapie, and Spencer Martin gathered to break down Stage 7 of the Tour de France, a day that saw more than just racing tactics unfold. Once again though, it was Tadej Pogacar and UAE Team Emirates – XRG who came out on top.

“This is going to sound like a broken record. Tadej Pogacar, ladies and gentlemen, won another stage of the Tour de France,” Armstrong said, underscoring the Slovenian's 101st professional win.

The win, Pogacar’s 19th at the Tour de France, leaves the world champion firmly in control of the 2025 edition of the race. Whilst Vingegaard was able to sprint with him, the story was the same as it has been most of the first week: the Dane could not come around Pogacar.

Still, there were signs of shifting dynamics. A crash involving João Almeida disrupted UAE’s plans and left Pogacar riding without one of his strongest lieutenants. “I think there had to be a rethink of the plan when they heard Almeida had crashed,” Wiggins observed. Martin added, “With the Almeida crash, there’s no Plan B.”

Almeida has been crucial for Pogacar in week one, and the Portuguese rider has won three stages himself this year. Not only was he a genuine podium threat prior to the crash, but he is also supposed to support Pogacar at the Vuelta a Espana later this summer. Will his injuries (a fractured rib and hand injury) affect that?

Despite that, the group agreed that Pogacar showed maturity by holding back rather than launching a solo attack. “We’re seeing Pogacar grow up before our eyes,” Martin said.

Yet Wiggins saw something else: an opportunity for Jonas Vingegaard. “Jonas looked good today. Let’s just hold on to that,” Armstrong noted, hoping the Dane’s performance would inject life into a Tour that is starting to look one-sided.

And what of Sepp Kuss, Vingegaard’s teammate and longtime mountain engine? “Let’s not discount him just yet,” said Wiggins. “This Tour is long… we’ll get a true reflection of where Sepp is on Monday.” Armstrong added, “It’s tough to do three grand tours. Those can be career-affecting.”

Meanwhile, Geraint Thomas, the winner of the 2018 Tour, made a strong move into the breakaway. “You’re there, and you think, ‘What am I doing here?’” Armstrong recalled from his own twilight years in the peloton. “But G is a class act.”

A brutal crash in the final kilometers caught the crew’s attention. “That was hard to watch… Lenny Martinez didn’t know up from down,” Armstrong said.

There was some levity amid the race breakdown. Armstrong couldn’t help but marvel at a massive lawn art tribute to Bernard Hinault. “This is unbelievable… I’ve spent 30 years watching Tour coverage, castles, creeks, hay bales. This is the greatest I’ve ever seen.”

Still, the tension lingers for what lies ahead. “The levels are getting higher, the gaps are smaller in the big mountains and larger in the small climbs,” said Martin. “Guys are getting tired,” added Hincapie. “You hit Mur de Bretagne and think, ‘No way should 25 guys be left after one climb.’ But there were.”

Mathieu van der Poel was once of the big names that was dropped, and the podcast believes that was a result of him being so active in the race on just about every day so far.

As Stage 8 looms, the sprinters prepare to gamble it all. “They’re going to risk their lives to win a stage,” Hincapie warned, as the sprinters finally get their first opportunity since stage 2. “If it was me, I’d be looking at tomorrow and the next day going, ‘Shit, man. I hope we get through this.’”