"You can’t design a Tour hoping Tadej Pogacar won’t win; you design a Tour to see who might possibly beat him" – 2026 Tour de France route defended following criticism

As debate continues over whether the newly unveiled 2026 Tour de France route has once again been built to favour Tadej Pogacar, one notable name in French cycling has pushed back on suggestions that Christian Prudhomme’s team should be actively trying to stop the Slovenian.

Speaking on Les Grandes Gueules du Sport for RMC, former pro and team boss Jerôme Pineau argued that the route should be about creating opportunities for competition rather than designing obstacles for one rider.

“You can’t design a Tour hoping Tadej Pogacar won’t win,” Pineau said. “You design a Tour to see who might possibly beat him.”

Host Simon Dutin responded by suggesting that even Pogacar’s period of dominance will not last forever, recalling how legends like Miguel Indurain eventually met their limits.

“Remember Indurain – we kept waiting for the day he’d finally crack, and suddenly it happened,” Dutin reflected. “The same could happen with Pogacar. The more time passes, the more that aura of invincibility fades.”

Dutin pointed to Pogacar’s rare moment of weakness on the Col de la Loze as a reminder that even the sport’s most complete rider can be undone when the team around him falters. “He didn’t have the strongest team that day, and now he’s losing key domestiques again,” Dutin continued. “Ayuso has gone, and Del Toro will soon want to assert himself. We’ll see how long everyone keeps working for Pogacar.”

Looking ahead to next summer, Dutin believes the 2026 route – which again features punishing central-mountain stages and the crucial finale in Le Lioran – could provide openings if Pogacar’s build-up hits any bumps.

“If he doesn’t already have three, four, maybe five minutes before the final stage, anything could happen,” Dutin warned. “He’s a phenomenon, but even he’s human – things can change fast.”

The 2026 Tour de France will start in Barcelona, take on both sides of Alpe d’Huez, and conclude with a decisive time trial to Nice, a layout that once again seems tailor-made for the reigning Tour champion – but, as the RMC panel reminded listeners, history shows that even the most dominant riders eventually meet their match.