'There are unwritten rules that should be respected' - Movistar DS warns Pogacar dominance is hurting the Tour

Speaking on the first rest day in Aurillac, Rojas said the fight for the yellow jersey was effectively over. Pogačar has already built a commanding lead over Jonas Vingegaard and, in the Spaniard’s view, is backed by a team stronger than anything the Tour has seen in recent years.

“We all think the Tour is more than decided,” Rojas told EFE. “Pogačar is above everyone else and he has the strongest, most crushing and most dominant team we have seen in recent years.”

Rojas expects Pogačar to tighten his grip on the race during the remaining mountain stages. Having already won stages three and six, the Slovenian has two victories to his name. Rojas predicted further wins at Le Lioran, Plateau de Solaison and Alpe d’Huez, as well as in the individual time trial.

“He will win six stages and take a huge share of the spoils,” he said.

His strongest criticism was reserved for UAE’s tactics on stage nine. The team spent much of the day controlling a powerful breakaway, even though none of the riders in front posed a serious threat to Pogačar’s lead.

Mathieu van der Poel eventually won the stage from the escape, beating Tobias Halland Johannessen and Tom Pidcock in Ussel. Rojas was left struggling to understand why UAE had kept the gap so small for so long.

“What UAE did yesterday made no sense,” he said. “I speak to 85 per cent of the sports directors and they all think the same.”

With 23 kilometres of descending between the final climb and the finish, Rojas felt Pogačar was unlikely to win the stage. He argued that UAE could have sent one of its own riders into the breakaway rather than controlling the race from behind.

“UAE can do whatever it wants because this is cycling, but there are also unwritten rules that should be respected,” he said.

Rojas believes such control risks making the race less attractive, particularly when other teams see few realistic opportunities to challenge UAE. When the strongest squad refuses to give a breakaway any room, even on a day when the general classification is not at stake, the reward for taking risks becomes increasingly small.

“Many will say that if there is nothing they can do, they would rather stay at home,” he said.

“I don’t know whether that does cycling a disservice. Everyone has their own point of view, but for me it does,” Rojas said. “In the end, I think it takes away part of the spectacle, because the beauty of cycling is the fight for different objectives.”

Tim Wellens offered a different explanation after the stage. The UAE rider said the team’s directors had been prepared to allow the breakaway a larger advantage, but he and Felix Großschartner felt strong and did not want to give away several minutes for free. 

UAE also believed Isaac del Toro could have contested a reduced sprint if the race came back together. Wellens added that the team classification was another consideration, although he stressed it was not a major objective.

Rojas does not dispute UAE’s right to race on its own terms. But with Pogačar seemingly untouchable and his team controlling the race around him, he fears the Tour is running out of suspense.