‘Unwritten rules’ – Bradley Wiggins baffled by Tadej Pogacar behaviour in yellow jersey at Tour de France

Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates), despite being a two-time winner of the Tour de France, does not fully use the power the yellow jersey affords, according to Bradley Wiggins.

But despite his dominance of the race in recent years and incredible talent, Wiggins has expressed his surprise that the 23-year-old “doesn’t realise his status in the sport”.

He also made the point that Pogacar perhaps lacks the road captains to make the difference, recalling the time that Michael Rogers took a decision on his behalf in 2012 to ensure that Team Sky abandoned a chase of a breakaway in order to focus on the general classification in his favour, a decision which did not amuse Mark Cavendish.

“So they were racing for an hour and the break did not go, and it did not go, and eventually 10 riders went away. We used to stop then for a p***, didn’t we?

“The yellow jersey would stop, and no one would attack because the whole team is at the back. He doesn’t do that, they just waited, waited, waited, and it allows people to counter-attack.

“It validates people to counter-attack, it legitimises that. So they let all the counter-attacks go, the counter-attacks go, and eventually, then they put one across. Eventually, then, other people start stopping for a wee, Geraint Thomas and that. Then UAE stopped with Pogacar.

“But in 2012, we would wait and almost control the race by stopping. The minute I would stop with all of us, no one would attack because the yellow jersey had stopped. So you would cancel the race out.

“The captains on the road would say ‘okay, Brad, stop for a wee now’. So I would pull over, and then anyone who would attack, they would say ‘hey, the yellow jersey has stopped’. So it would neutralise the race because it is the unwritten rules again.

“But Pogacar is happy to sit there. Now, whether it is naivety and he doesn’t do it, or they are doing it on purpose, or they just don’t trust anyone that when the yellow jersey stops… but I have noticed that they don’t do that – they don’t use their status enough within the sport to control the racing.

“I don’t think he realises his status in the sport, which is why he is so good.”

Eisel added: “You are right I think. They just play it out and see what will work out that day. At the moment, they have it fully under control and he just cruises around a bunch and surfs the wheels.

“He is always at the front, so he is protecting his team-mates in doing their job and they are protecting him. If there is a break going that is important in putting him under pressure, he just moves.”

Stephens added: “His positioning in the bunch is unorthodox. He is really far forward. There is a little bit of naivety, coupled with the fact that he is prodigiously talented and can do anything he wants.

“You have got to look at the experience in the team and the management. Are they just letting him do it, or are they saying, ‘just do it because you are scaring people’? You are dominating in a different way. They are a good team – they are not the best team – but they have someone who can intimidate by what he can do.”

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