“I don’t have the impression that Pogacar will go to the Tour next year. He wants to ride the Giro and the Vuelta. That information comes from the heart of the peloton.” Evenepoel surprised with this news last week in the cycling podcast of the RTBF. News that may have been music to the ears of many riders, which this year made it clear that the Slovenian is almost unbeatable.
Sensational rumor ‘from the heart of the peloton’: Tadej Pogacar will not participate in the Tour de France in 2026
But Jonas Vingegaard and co. should not celebrate too early. Because it is far from certain that Pogacar will not ride the Tour next year. After Matxin Fernandez, manager of UAE Emirates-XRG, already revealed that Milan-Sanremo and Paris-Roubaix in 2026 are major goals in terms of one-day races for his leader, he has now lifted the veil on riding the Grand Tours.
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Tour and World Cup
“In principle he will ride the Tour and the World Cup,” Fernandez tells the Spanish newspaper Marca. “That is what is planned. Then we will see. If one day he decides to change, it will be out of passion, not out of strategic considerations.” The Spaniard does not say a word about a possible double Giro-Tour. That will only become clear when Pogacar’s final program is announced in December.
Fernandez also indicated that the wealthy Emirates team has no plans to slow down next year. “We want to keep growing. Winning is great, but the most important thing is how you win. It is our duty not to lose our passion.”