\nA champion chasing ghosts<\/p>\n
Both Roll and Van Garderen presented Pogacar as a rider whose ambitions now extend beyond yellow jerseys alone and towards the game\u2019s longest shadows.<\/p>\n
Roll captured it bluntly: \u201cPogacar isn\u2019t just in it for winning the Tour de France. He\u2019s chasing ghosts\u2026 He wants to get the stage win victories, break Cavendish\u2019s record. He wants it all.\u201d<\/p>\n
Van Garderen agreed the 2026 route offers little comfort to rivals who might hope the terrain would level things up: \u201cKnowing Pogacar, he\u2019s going to attack at any chance he sees\u2026 maybe he\u2019s just going to try to stamp his authority on the race early.\u201d<\/p>\n
From an early Pyrenean test on stage three to the late double ascent of the Alpe, the pair repeatedly returned to the same theme: when Pogacar senses an opening \u2014 or simply decides to create one \u2014 he rarely waits.<\/p>\n
Roll\u2019s blunt assessment: \u201cNobody\u2019s beating Pogacar\u201d<\/p>\n
Roll swerved qualifiers. Asked whether 2026 could produce a genuine GC fight, he offered a flat verdict: \u201cI\u2019ll just do a hot take real quick. Nobody\u2019s beating Tadej Pogacar in next year\u2019s Tour de France.\u201d<\/p>\n
He did concede the opening exchanges \u2014 with a punchy team time trial and those early climbs \u2014 might keep things fluid at first. But even across a route designed to produce volatility, Roll sees the same conclusion: \u201cIt might be closer. It might not be as decisive after the first few days, but this course suits him perfectly.\u201d<\/p>\n
The implication is clear: the profile can complicate the journey, but class will likely decide the destination.<\/p>\n
Where does the pressure come from \u2014 Evenepoel or Vingegaard?<\/p>\n
Central to Van Garderen\u2019s viewpoint is not just Pogacar\u2019s strength, but a comparative lack of resistance. Years of Pogacar\u2013Vingegaard duels have yielded iconic racing, yet Van Garderen believes the balance shifted decisively this year: \u201cLast year I was thinking OK, you have to give Jonas a little bit of a break after his crash at the Basque Country. But this year\u2026 both came in completely healthy\u2026 and Tadej just demolished him.\u201d<\/p>\n