“You get used to being entertained by him” – Bradley Wiggins disappointed as Tadej Pogacar turns domestique on final Tour mountain stage
CyclingSunday, 26 July 2026 at 12:30
Sir Bradley Wiggins admitted he wanted Tadej Pogacar to pursue a sixth stage victory rather than remain alongside Isaac Del Toro on the final mountain stage of the 2026 Tour de France.
The yellow jersey used his strength to protect his UAE Team Emirates – XRG teammate’s podium place as Richard Carapaz and Sepp Kuss fought for victory ahead.
“You get used to being entertained by him,” the 2012 Tour winner said on The Move. “It’s amazing to watch what he does, and the more he does it, the more you want to see. So I was a little disappointed that he didn’t go for it this time.”
Pogacar had heightened those expectations only 24 hours earlier. He attacked 12 kilometres from the summit of Alpe d’Huez, overhauled the breakaway and recorded the fastest ascent in the climb’s Tour history to claim his fifth victory of the race.
Pogacar takes responsibility as UAE support falls away
Stage 20 presented Pogacar with a different situation. Illness had affected several UAE riders during the final week, while Brandon McNulty had already left the race. When the breakaway established an advantage of approximately four minutes, only Pogacar and Del Toro remained capable of limiting the damage.
Former US champion George Hincapie, who spent much of his own career working as a Tour de France support rider, believed the yellow jersey had little choice but to contribute.
“He only had Del Toro left, so it had to be either Del Toro or himself to close that four-minute gap,” Hincapie said.
Pogacar led over the Col du Galibier and continued working for Del Toro as the race approached the Col de Sarenne. The Mexican had started the day third overall, only 20 seconds ahead of Paul Seixas, and remained under pressure for both the podium and white jersey.
The tactical picture changed once Seixas was distanced. Del Toro’s third place was no longer under immediate threat, but Pogacar continued alongside his teammate and did not respond when Remco Evenepoel attacked with approximately 2.5 kilometres remaining.
Tadej Pogacar and Isaac del Toro at the 2026 Tour de France
“Ten out of ten times”
Lance Armstrong believed Pogacar passed up a certain victory by remaining with Del Toro. Asked whether the Slovenian would have won had he committed fully to the chase, Armstrong replied: “Ten out of ten times.”
Carapaz had inherited the lead after Kuss crashed twice on the descent from the Col de Sarenne. Evenepoel later passed the American to take second, while Pogacar and Del Toro crossed together 1:05 behind the stage winner.
For Armstrong, the work Pogacar had done earlier was understandable. Continuing once Seixas had been dropped was a choice rather than a tactical requirement.
“It wasn’t popular here,” he said. “But what he did was really cool. Still, it wasn’t necessary. Seixas had been dropped, Del Toro was doing fine and would easily finish third. He had that in the bag.”
Pogacar conceded 45 seconds to Evenepoel and surrendered the chance to chase another victory, although his overall lead remained a commanding 6:26. Armstrong nevertheless recognised what the gesture could mean inside UAE.
“It looked good,” he continued. “It’s safe for him to do that. It builds friendship and loyalty within the team, though there’s plenty of that there already.”
Del Toro increased his advantage over Seixas from 20 seconds to 2:14. Pogacar will enter Paris on the verge of a record-equalling fifth Tour victory, with his 22-year-old teammate set to join him on the final podium.
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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leedorney26-07-2026 - Bullshit, he never gave back to Almeida or Yates. This is just pure stupidity to lose stage wins especially when you have never displayed magnanimity in the past GTs. No this is just simply a way to keep Del Toro on the contract of UAE so that he doesn't break contract.abstractengineer26-07-2026
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