Will Tadej Pogačar finally be defeated in this year’s Tour de France? All signs point to “no.”
Looking to tie the record for five Tour de France wins, Pogačar comes into the Tour with ranked as the world’s top cyclist by UCI for five years in a row. The Slovenian national arrives to the Tour with six race wins this year.
Pogačar and Vingegaard also will receive support from their star-studded teams, UAE Team Emirates XRG and Visma-Lease a Bike, respectively. Though still sporting a top-tier lineup, Visma-Lease a Bike will be missing their difference-maker, Wout van Aert, due to an elbow injury.
On the latest episode of Beyond the Podium, Brent Bookwalter and Tejay van Garderen weighed Pogačar’s chances of defending his title from his closest competition, two-time Tour de France champion, Jonas Vingegaard.
“Those top two slots are locked up,” said van Garderen of the now-storied rivalry between the two. However, Bookwalter and van Garderen both concurred that Pogačar has retained his upper hand despite Vingegaard’s “flawless season.”
The strongest contenders third are fresh faces such as 22-year old Isaac del Toro of UAE Team Emirates XRG and 19-year old Paul Seixas of Decathlon CMA CGM Team.
Speaking of Pogačar’s dominant performance during last year’s Tour, surging ahead of Vingegaard, van Garderen said, “last year settled all the questions for me. Tadej is just the best cyclist we’ve ever seen.”
Which potentially begs the question of not who, but what, will hamper Pogačar during this year’s edition?
Said Bookwalter of all of the unexpected conditions and crashes, instead of a cyclist, “His biggest opponent is the Tour itself.”
The 113th Tour de France spans from July 4-26, beginning in Barcelona and concluding in Paris, with full coverage on Peacock and select stages on NBC. The route will progress from Spain to France, including the Pyrenees, Bordeaux, Mulhouse, and a finish at Alpe d’Huez prior to the final stage on the Champs-Élysées.
Cycling fans can catch the Tour de France: Beyond the Podium recap show from 7:30-8 p.m. ET daily on Peacock and NBCSN, with extra highlights and analysis available on the NBC Sports YouTube channel.
