“This was definitely not the plan” - Tadej Pogacar reveals spontaneous spark behind outrageous Tour de Suisse stage 1 demolition

Tadej Pogacar made his first Tour de Suisse appearance look almost absurdly simple on stage 1, but the world champion insisted afterwards that his race-altering 70km assault had not been drawn up in advance.

The UAE Team Emirates - XRG leader blew the opening stage around Sondrio apart long before the expected finale, eventually taking control of both the stage and the general classification on the first day of the new five-stage format. Richard Carapaz finished 2:22 down in second, Andrea Bagioli was third at 2:39, and Primoz Roglic ended the day almost five minutes behind.

Pogacar’s winning move began after the intermediate sprint, where he and Brandon McNulty sensed the chance to turn pressure into something far more damaging. From there, what could have been a short acceleration became a ride that reshaped the race.

“I don't know, this was definitely not the plan, but somehow it worked, thanks to the teammates, I think, because without them blocking in the back, setting the place before this wouldn't be possible,” said Pogacar as he warmed down after the finish.

The opening kilometres had not pointed towards a day of such destruction. Pogacar said the start had been manageable, before the first major climb of the stage changed the feeling of the race.

“It was hard, really hard. The start was easy, and everything was under control. The first climb of the day was already super hard just to go up, but Nils Politt and Tim Wellens did an amazing pace there,” he explained. “Then, after the bonus seconds, me and Brandon looked at each other and said, 'Let's go'.”

That moment turned the stage away from the expected punchy finale and into a long solo test. Pogacar bridged across to Frederik Dversnes and then continued alone, while the groups behind never regained control.

“We tried something, and from then on, we just went. I didn't have radio at that time, so I didn't know what's going on in the back, so I just kept riding hard,” he said. “Once I knew the gap is quite big, I could set into the rhythm and try to hold it to the finish, which was super long and really hard, but was also at the same time quite technical, so it was really nice to be alone.”

The size of the gaps leaves Pogacar in a commanding position before the race has even crossed fully into its final shape. Saturday’s 24km individual time trial and Sunday’s queen stage to Villars-sur-Ollon still offer major GC terrain, but the opening day has already given UAE Team Emirates - XRG a huge platform.

Pogacar’s first priority for stage 2 is more controlled. He will start in the leader’s jersey, with UAE also holding cards through McNulty, Jhonatan Narvaez and Felix Grossschartner.

“Stay safe and keep the jersey,” Pogacar said when asked what is goal is tomorrow. “We have a strong team; we can try to go for the stage with Johnny Narvaez, Brandon McNulty, or Felix Grossschartner, or anybody else in the team, we'll see how the guys feel.”

After a stage that began with a controlled first hour and ended with the race leader already minutes clear of most of the GC field, UAE’s position has changed quickly. Pogacar arrived in Switzerland chasing a race missing from his palmares. One day in, everyone else is already working from a very different starting point.