'It's too soon': Tadej Pogačar holds back attacks in Tour de France opening week

The Slovenian is hunting stage wins and the overall victory, but won't unleash any of his trademark long-distance attacks until the mountains

Tadej Pogačar
(Image credit: Getty Images)

You thought you knew Tadej Pogačar, huh. You thought he’d be on the attack in the opening stages of the Tour de France, keen to take time on the Classics-like terrain. You expected him to attack on the third-last climb on stage two, 10km from the finish in Boulogne-sur-Mer.

But this is a different Pogačar. Patient, more reserved, less eager. Playing a longer game. He’s still gaining time – 39 seconds over Remco Evenepoel on stage one, and two extra bonus seconds over Jonas Vingegaard on stage two after he finished second behind winner Mathieu van der Poel – but UAE Team Emirates-XRG are preaching a game of perseverance and caution.

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Chris Marshall-Bell

A freelance sports journalist and podcaster, you'll mostly find Chris's byline attached to news scoops, profile interviews and long reads across a variety of different publications. He has been writing regularly for Cycling Weekly since 2013. In 2024 he released a seven-part podcast documentary, Ghost in the Machine, about motor doping in cycling.

Previously a ski, hiking and cycling guide in the Canadian Rockies and Spanish Pyrenees, he almost certainly holds the record for the most number of interviews conducted from snowy mountains. He lives in Valencia, Spain.

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