‘It’s really nice to race here’ - Pogacar enjoys calmer stage racing after the Classics

After Wednesday’s Ovronnaz attack earned him the yellow jersey, the question ahead of stage 2 was clear: would Tadej Pogačar go on the offensive again on the climb to Vuillens, or hold back and wait for the sprint?

In the end, he chose the latter and still came out on top.

“Not easy, but smooth,” Pogačar said of the victory, which marked his sixth win in just eight race days in 2026, following earlier successes at Strade Bianche, Milan-San Remo, Tour of Flanders, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and stage 1 of the Tour de Romandie, speaking in his flash interview.

The stage was decided on the final ascent of Vuillens, a 3.1 kilometre climb at 5.4 percent, cresting 2.5 kilometres from the finish. None of the GC riders made a move, and Tadej Pogačar made it clear afterwards that this was a deliberate choice.

"To make the difference in time gaps, no," Pogačar said when asked if he had felt capable of dropping his rivals there. "But it makes the difference in the legs, and if you go over the limit, for sure it's harder to do a good sprint. Luckily for me, it was all under control and I could still do a good sprint."

Three identical loops to close out the stage gave the riders three chances to read the same finale: fast and tailwind aided over the top of Vuillens, then a headwind and slight downhill into the line.

"We did the final lap three times, and I knew the sprint was going to be tough because of the climbs before," Pogačar explained. "It was indeed a super fast climb with a tailwind, but then the sprint had a strong headwind and was quite downhill, so I knew that you cannot be too far in front."

He very nearly was. Pogačar admitted that he had hit the last corner with more space than he wanted, the kind of gap that, in a headwind drag, usually punishes the rider in front.

"In the last corner I was too far in front, and then suddenly some guys came; they were too early," he said. "It was an advantage for me."

The Slovenian was also asked about the contrast with the Classics block he has just come through, six weeks of racing conducted at a very different pitch to a stage race.

“It’s more quiet, I won’t lie,” Pogačar said of Tour de Romandie. “In the Classics it’s always chaos, a big bunch under stress, and just one day where everything has to be perfect. Here you have five stages, still very hard ones, but on good roads. Everyone knows the climbs are what matter and that you need good legs, so there’s less stress heading into the mountains. And it’s a stage race, which makes a big difference. I’ve enjoyed it, it’s really nice to race here.”

There was a softer note, too. Pogačar’s parents had been at the roadside in Martigny to watch him win the stage 1, the Slovenian spotting them on each lap. On Thursday, they were absent from view.

“Today they were hiding somewhere,” he smiled. “I didn’t see them, but I saw them in the morning. They came to the hotel and had breakfast with the team. It was nice to see them, even if I couldn’t find them out on the course.”