The strange Tour de France of Tadej Pogacar

By completing the 21st stage of the Tour de France 2025 on the Champs-Elysées. Furthermore, the Slovenian Tadej Pogacar signed his fourth victory in the general classification on the queen of cycling races. Moreover, A title that was to be an apotheosis but has transformed. Meanwhile, over the weeks and criticism, in a sad coronation against the backdrop of the unhealthy UAE Team Emirates XRG.

Here he is soon at the rank of Chris Froome. However, to a coronation of the legendary Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain. Nevertheless, It is however with the sad mine that Tadej Pogacar will complete. Consequently, this Sunday, July 27, 2025, his Tour de France, on the highest step of the podium, at the end of the 21st and last stage on the Champs-Elysées. Meanwhile, As if this yellow jersey had a completely different weight than strange tour de france tadej the previous ones. Furthermore, The end of three weeks of euphoria first, of Blues afterwards.

“At the end of the tower, we arrive a little tired each time. Moreover, We try to forget, to think that we are always good. In addition, It is normal that we arrive tired. Similarly, I think this year it was a little harder for everyone. Moreover, everyone may be more tired than ever,” tried to justify Mauro Gianetti, manager of UAE, in Pontarlier the day before. Meanwhile, Physical fatigue yes but it is the mental wear of the champion who questions. Furthermore, This mine extinguished on the last podiums of the yellow jersey and especially its barely veiled statements.

“What am I still doing here?”

Because Tadej Pogacar does not even hide his lassity. Similarly, “It is starting to be a bit long, especially with this weather today. Nevertheless, And with the ceremony afterwards, it’s strange tour de france tadej a bit long. Consequently, I just want to go to the bus and take a hot shower,” he slipped, shivering to La Plagne. In addition, At the top of the Col de la Loze. Similarly, his words were at the same tone: “Sometimes I wonder: ‘What am I still doing here?’ It’s so long three weeks, we count the kilometers to Paris.

A few days earlier, however, everything seemed to be beautiful. Meanwhile, To the point of making him the new “cannibal” which. In addition, like Merckx in his time, was not intended to leave anything in his path except a few crumbs on massive sprints. Consequently, In Rouen. Similarly, he had made everyone agree by ahead of his main rival of the season on the classics, Mathieu Van der Poel, and his great adversary announced on this tower, Jonas Vingegaard. He gave it to Mûr de Bretagne in front of strange tour de france tadej the Danes. Then especially in Hautacam after a simply exceptional performance, even for him, which has accustomed us to caviar. The next day, on a hyper demanding mountain branch, he folded the game in Peyragudes.

Four victories. the promise to seek the absolute record of success (eight) on the same Tour de France, currently held by the Pélissier trio (1930) -Merckx (1970 and 1974) -Maertens (1976). There will ultimately be no other. Tadej Pogacar, however, crushed this edition. But after the Pyrenees, it is as if a small flame had died out.

No competitor at his height

He who likes so much to have fun. find new challenges for each new day of racing undoubtedly regretted the abandonment of Mathieu Van der Poel, his best enemy of the Paris-Roubaix, Amstel or Milan-Sanremo, touched by a villain and forced to give up before the 16th stage. It was hardly only him to strange tour de france tadej compete – apart from the high peaks of course – with “Pogi” in. the entertainment. The two have the taste for fun, the unexpected and rivalry for them. Additionally, The Slovenian will have had to be satisfied with a Jonas Vingegaard who promised Mounts. Wonders in the Alps and whose personal strategy, coupled with that of his Visma team, will have failed in large widths. He will only have ahead of it once: at La Plagne … finishing second in the stage behind Thymen Arensman.

Tadej Pogacar, whose anthology shots were expected in the Alps, will have done what a leader must do in a large tour: manage his advance, not be trapped and not take too many risks. Except that the runner UAE had so far left us the image of a lover of victory who does. not want to manage.

“The evening of the last mountain stage. you can strange tour de france tadej blow and say to yourself ‘that’s it, I won the Tour de France’. Tadej Pogacar. he is bored,” regretted consultant RMC Sport Jérôme Coppel in theAfter Tour On RMC after the alpine stages. “What he likes in the bicycle is playing. But to play, you have to be two, otherwise it’s a lonely and you get bored. At the Dauphiné, Tadej got bored. He asked in full stage where his partner was on the Giro (Urska Zigart). I’m sorry, he gets pissed off, Tadej Pogacar!” Jérôme Pineau was going further: “He is grumpy, almost depressed. It is not good for him, nor for the team, or for the tour. He launches a message: ‘It’s almost too easy, I get bored’.”

What to “degrade his image”, as the consultant thinks? Some will say that France does not like champions that crush their sport. But there is no really question of the love strange tour de france tadej of the tricolor public for the eternal seconds. Because this new coronation of the Slovenian of Uae Team Emirates Xrg will have given birth to an almost new wind: that of suspicion. of annoyance in the face of this domination that no other runner is able to question. He was not used to it, at least not in these proportions.

Strange tour de france tadej

A climate of suspicion that begins to weigh

Eric Boyer. former runner and manager of the Cofidis team, compared UAE’s communication in the most famous cheat case by doping in the history of sport by saying “the same words as for Armstrong”; Sandy Casar, who ran at the time of Lance Amstrong, said he was embarrassed by “the attacks at the foot of the climbs” by adding “we couldn’t see that since my time”. When an anonymous sports director mocked in Ouest France that “the authorities strange tour de france tadej are embarrassed”. Even if in front of the microphones. most say they are especially impressed by this “extraterrestrial” without ever talking about doping suspicion. “Tadej Pogacar is today the most controlled runner. I have no reason to doubt his performance,” said the boss of the International Cycling Union (UCI) David Lappartient in of Friday.

Will the tongues that are offset. in the peloton and the staff as with the spectators and wise observers, have they weighed in the head of the champion? No one could say if not himself. UAE has locked up communication around the subject. Last fall. Tadej Pogacar was already to defend himself: he had answered Christian Prudhomme, boss of the Tour de France, who believed that “the question was not illegitimate” given the “past of cycling”.

“Cycling is a sport in which people have done, in the past, everything they could to be the best possible. They have strange tour de france tadej risked their lives. we do not know it, but there are many runners who are probably sick today, who have mental or health problems because of what they did in the past to their bodies, 30 years ago”, replied “Pogi” before the Tour de Lombardie. “In my most honest. humble opinion, I think cycling is a sport that suffers a lot from that time, there is no confidence. We hope that people will start to believe in it.”

There remains this funny impression of the champion’s weariness, which may judge having won this fourth big loop too easily. To the point that his participation in the Vuelta, which seemed acquired, are now written with a few dotted lines. Cutting. going on vacation, questioning yourself to find new challenges: it is often more in the moments of doubt that the pride of the champion is the most. See you next year?