When dawn broke on the 2025 Tour de France’s first stage in the Pyrenees, there was a sense among most many that this was going to be the comeback day. Tadej Pogačar, having crashed the day before, was at risk of being overhauled by Jonas Vingegaard and, at least according to performances so far, by the better, healthier and more numerous team, Visma-Lease a Bike.
In Pogačar’s Toulouse hotel, however, there were no such thoughts. “This morning at the meeting, it was like being in school and the teacher was having to say, ‘hey guys, focus a little bit’,” Tim Wellens of UAE Team Emirates-XRG recalled. “We were laughing at other things and not really having the meeting.” Nils Politt, another one of Pogačar’s devout teammates, reported similar vibes. “Yesterday evening we saw he was OK [after the crash] so we were already in a good mood. And then today he was super confident. He said on the bus that he wanted to win today.” So much for being fearful of the Visma assault, huh.
