This is how Pogacar planned his incredible performance

Tadej Pogacar himself could hardly wait for his demonstration of power on the toughest Pyrenean stage of the Tour de France.

July 10, 2026

From: dpa

“I woke up way too early today, at 7 a.m. I just couldn’t sleep long because I was so excited for today,” said the Slovenian after the sixth stage, in which he achieved a superb stage victory and reclaimed the yellow jersey.

The evening before, there was already a "hype" within the team regarding the stage, including the crossing of the iconic Col du Tourmalet, he recounted. "We thought: We'll go all in. What could possibly go wrong?" said the four-time Tour winner.

The top star in yellow: Tadej Pogacar. © ANSA / YOAN VALAT

Or as his teammate Nils Politt put it at the ARD He put it this way: “He simply said that he was really up for it. And when he’s really up for it, he goes for it.” The team steadily increased the pace before the 27-year-old launched his solo attack on the Tourmalet, 43 kilometers from the finish.

Vingegaard: "The fight is not over yet"

As so often before, no one could keep up with Pogacar. As so often before, Jonas Vingegaard stayed closest. At the summit of the Tourmalet, the gap for the Dane was still manageable at a good half minute, but on the descent and the final climb it grew to 2:38 minutes.

“Of course I’m disappointed,” said Pogacar’s long-time rival at the finish. “But I still believe my legs will get better as the race progresses. The fight isn’t over yet.”

Nevertheless, Pogacar dealt a real blow to hopes for an exciting battle for the overall victory at the 113th Tour de France. The defending champion appears too dominant again this year.

Keywords cycling Tour de France Tadej pogacar