"We will continue to watch him": Things could hardly be worse for Tadej Pogacar

The first few days of the Tour de France are going well for Tadej Pogacar. The Slovenian has built up a comfortable lead over his biggest rival in the battle for the overall standings, the Dane Jonas Vingegaard. But then come bitter days that have yet to have any consequences.

But things could have been even worse for Tadej Pogacar. The big favorite for the overall victory in the Tour de France could have been eliminated from the Tour de France late Wednesday afternoon. He crashed because Tobias Johannessen left his line, and Pogacar hung onto his rear wheel. Concern was high in his native Slovenia: "Heavy crash! Pogacar hit the curb with his shoulder. He got up quickly, but the fall looked terrible," wrote the newspaper "Dole."

Johannessen spoke of a "mistake" on his part. "It feels like shit," revealed the 25-year-old from Team Uno-X Mobility. At the same time, the professional cyclist lamented the hate mail he had received. "I wouldn't wish the number of threats I've received on anyone. I'm very sorry, but I'm also devastated by all the hate. It's very frightening," he revealed.

How bad the Slovenian's situation is, currently second overall, and how much the crash will affect him, will become clear on this Thursday's 12th stage. Especially on the final climb up to Hautacam. The average gradient on this incredibly difficult climb is 7.8 percent. Jonas Vingegaard last won here in 2022. On Wednesday, Vingegaard, like all the other top riders, had refrained from capitalizing on Pogacar's crash. After his misfortune, they had waited. Apparently at the initiative of Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel, who reportedly shouted "Stop" several times. And so they rode to the finish line together with him. "Respect to the peloton, respect to everyone. Thank you," Pogacar said later.

Pogacar remains under observation

But the superstar won't be able to expect much more leniency. The decisive stages in the battle for the yellow jersey are now upon us. And Pogacar is under more pressure than he'd like. Not only because of the consequences of his crash, which, according to the team statement, shouldn't affect him much. He has bruises and abrasions on his left forearm and hip. "But otherwise, he's fine. We'll continue to monitor him, but at this point, he's medically fit to continue racing." The Slovenian said: "I'm doing OK, a little under the weather, but we've seen worse. I was afraid when I saw the pavement coming towards me that I'd hit my head on it. But luckily, my skin is rough and stopped me before the curb."

They had already thought the same thing about Joao Almeida at UAE. The Slovenian's valuable helper had suffered a heavy crash on the seventh stage. The team initially allowed him to continue, despite a "simple rib fracture" and "severe abrasions." However, the Portuguese rider ultimately had to succumb to his injuries. This was bitter news for him, but especially for his captain. He had fully hoped for the physical and mental support of Almeida, fourth overall last year, in the high mountains. "He was an important piece of the puzzle, especially on the climbs. We haven't seen many mountains so far – it would have been helpful to have him with us. But now things are really getting started. We'll miss him," said teammate Adam Yates.

The pressure on Yates in particular is increasing

It's now primarily him, Yates, who's been riding a rather unimpressive Tour so far. Is he still conserving his energy? Or is he no longer in the form he's shown in recent years? In 2023, he finished third, and in 2024, he finished sixth. He's currently only in 38th place. The terrain hasn't suited him so far, as he revealed: "To be honest, it's been quite difficult for me to do much on the flat when we're traveling at 50 km/h." Marc Soler and Jhonatan Narváez are also facing even greater challenges.

After a strong start to the Tour, the tide has turned for Pogacar and UAE. In the time trial, he had flown away from Vingegaard, his only real challenger, and he also proved to be very strong and explosive on the tough climbs in Brittany and Normandy. But now, with a double shock, he heads into the mountains. And suddenly, it seems as if the advantage lies with Vingegaard's team, Jumbo Lease a Bike. The team had already been rated extremely strong before the Tour and has shown just how strong it is in recent days. Simon Yates, brother of UAE's Adam, for example, won the tough 10th stage. Matteo Jorgenson is making an outstanding impression, and Sepp Kuss, a mountain goat who can hardly be stopped, is also lurking.

The team accounts for 80 percent of success

Before the start of the Tour, former professional Rick Zabel explained in an interview with ntv.de how important the team is for the captain's success: "I would say that a guy like Pogacar makes up the last 20 percent on his own, but that he also benefits 80 percent from the work of his teammates. If he were alone, he wouldn't be as strong. That's clear. He would certainly survive a mountain finish, but not an entire Tour."

In the overall standings, Pogacar is currently second behind Ben Healy, but the Irishman will have little chance of defending the yellow jersey for long in the high mountains. More important for the Slovenian is his lead over Vingegaard, which remains at 1:17 minutes.