Tour de France 2026 Preview: Can Anyone Challenge Tadej Pogačar?
About this episode
The episode previews the 2026 Tour de France, discussing potential challengers to Tadej Pogačar and the dynamics of the race.
The Tour de France is the biggest race on the calendar, so my co-host, Andrew Vontz, and I called in reinforcements by sitting down with Jonathan Kaplan of the Riding With newsletter to break down the route, storylines, and the race's dynamics. Even if it is looking like yet another race where everyone will be hopelessly chasing Tadej Pogačar and UAE, we think there is plenty going on outside the race for the overall win to keep things interesting. We dig into what his rivals’ strategies should be and whether Lidl-Trek is cruising toward a too-many-cooks disaster or using a clever chaos-theory approach, which may be the only viable option against Pogačar and the UAE juggernaut. Follow Andrew’s path to beating cancer here BTP Newsletter: Get Daily Tour de France Breakdowns Listen to Andrew’s Choose the Hard Way Podcast Read Jonathan’s Riding With Newsletter This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit beyondthepeloton.substack.com/subscribe
Topics covered
- Tour de France
- Tadej Pogačar
- cycling strategies
- race dynamics
More episodes of Beyond the Peloton Podcast
- Tour de France Week 2 Check In: What is UAE Doing?
- TDF 2026: Is This Tour Already Over?
- Have Tadej Pogačar & UAE Killed Cycling?
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