LA PLAGNE, France (Velo) — Tadej Pogačar did what he needed to do Friday to pedal one day closer to overall victory at the Tour de France.
No long-distance attacks or super-hero fireworks that’s been his calling card since 2020.
The UAE Emirates-XRG was all business in the final major mountain stage of the 2025 Tour, and despite missing out on another shot at a stage win, Pogačar will roll into Paris with a fourth yellow jersey all but in the bag.
That’s reason enough to celebrate, but some are wondering if this new methodical, more calculating Pogačar — after sewing things up in the Pyrenees — seemed to be a bit on cruise control in the second half of the Tour de France.
No Mont Ventoux. No revenge on Col de la Loze. No final mountain throw down.
Is he even perhaps bored with this Tour?
“I was counting down the kilometers in the end,” Pogacar admitted Friday. “Arensman went on a good attack. I decided not to follow, set my rhythm, my defensive rhythm that I feel comfortable with. In the end it was like this.
“I am just happy it is over. Two more days to Paris.”
It seems like Pogačar just wants to get it over with.
‘Happy today is over’
There’s no doubt this has been a different style of racing from Pogačar in the final week of the 2025 Tour.
After blowing up the first half the race, with four stage victories and carrying a commanding lead out of the Pyrénees, Pogacar didn’t need to attack.
But he’s been in that position before, and did attack.
In other editions — including last year’s “no gifts” onslaught that included six stage wins — Pogačar was racing with wild abandon just about every stage that counted.
This year’s different and part of the reason is that Visma made it hard for him.
The “Killer Bees” came straight at UAE in the first week, and even after Jonas Vingegaard bled time in the TT and Hautacam, they never stopped fighting.
Tadej Pogacar on Eurosport: “I was thinking that maybe Jonas wanted to win this stage also but he was just holding to my wheel.” ♂️#TDF2025 pic.twitter.com/X4sXNkC26S
— Mihai Simion (@faustocoppi60) July 25, 2025
UAE Emirates-XRG was forced to neutralize the aggressive tactics from Visma-Lease a Bike on Mont Ventoux and again up Col de la Loze in the Alps, something that threw a wrench into Pogacar’s plans to win on those two iconic summit finales.
There’s no doubt that Pogačar is the strongest rider in the race, but the past few days were raced in a more subdued, muted style unseen in the Pogačar era.
He might now be the most weary.
“I’m obviously tired,” Pogacar said. “It’s not been easy, people attacking me from left, right, and from day one to the end, and being focused and staying motivated.
“I had to pull the whole climb in the end. Of course I came quite tired to the finish line,” Pogacar said Friday at La Plagne. “It was tough the last three days for me, I am happy that today is over. We go to tomorrow.”
‘Why am I still here?’
There have been whispers that Pogačar’s been fighting off a minor cold since the start of the final week, and that might be a factor.
Right now, the mental fatigue appears to be more challenging to Pogačar than racing the bike.
He’s admitted that he’s growing weary of constantly being at the center of the spotlight, the endless questions from media, not to mention the unrelenting attacks from Visma-Lease a Bike.
He never cracked on the bike, but he’s showing signs that he cannot wait to get to Paris.
“I ask myself, ‘Why? Why am I still here?’ It’s so long, these three weeks,” Pogacar said. “You’re just counting the kilometers to Paris.”
️ Jonas reflects on Pogacar’s strength:
“He’s been incredibly strong, and he deserves to win. Sometimes you just have to accept that, and I do now.” pic.twitter.com/vsAhmA3CTd— #TeamVingegaard (@vingeupdates) July 25, 2025
Ever since he burst onto the scene in 2019, Pogačar delivered an endless string of greatest hits and genre-defying exploits.
Perhaps everyone has just grown spoiled with cycling’s super hero smashing records and flying up mountains. Right now, it’s obvious he’s at the end of his tether with this Tour.
Two more road stages, and he’s done.
Vuelta a España in doubt
Pogacar’s growing exasperation with the demands of this Tour now has UAE scrambling ahead of the Vuelta a España.
UAE officials told Velo at the start of this Tour that the Vuelta was on Pogačar calendar, but he’s apparently cooling to the idea of racing another three-week grand tour so soon.
Sources said that Pogačar doesn’t want to head back to another altitude camp to prepare for the Vuelta and spend at least another month on the road.
The team is giving Pogacar space to finish this Tour and have a week to recover before making the final decision, but the squad is already working on a Plan B if he decides not to race the Spanish grand tour.
Geraint Thomas on Visma isolating Pogačar: ‘You can isolate a Ferrari, but it still goes fast.’
— Daniel Friebe (@friebos) July 25, 2025
After a busy spring and another dynamic summer, Pogačar might be content to race the fall classics and head to Rwanda for a chance to defend the rainbow jersey, and leave it at that.
“I cannot say that it’s gonna be all over, but yeah, I can do some other nice stuff in my life as well,” Pogacar said when asked if he’s fed up with the Tour.
‘Not so bad to be here’
Still, the adrenaline kicks in when the flag drops.
Rough weather and a brutal profile the past two days didn’t help, but Pogacar is a racer.
“I try to enjoy every day on the bike as much as we can. Even though it’s hard, the fans really help,” Pogacar said.
He’s already dropping hints that he might attack on the final day in Paris on the thrilling Montmartre circuit on Sunday.
“Even in the third week when you’re all tired, annoyed by everybody around you more or less, and yeah, you just want to go home,” Pogačar said. “But in the end, when you ride on these big climbs and people cheer on you, it gives you that extra motivation.
“Then you realize that yeah, it’s not so bad to be here. And especially if you have good legs, then it makes everything quite good.”
After delivering non-stop sparks for more than half a decade, are these the first signs that Pogačar is already thinking about what comes next?
Or is it simply week-three fatigue that hits everyone inside the Tour circus?
Tadej Pogacar’s lion collection on the UAE Team Emirates – XRG bus is rapidly becoming a visibility problem for their bus driver
@marcelkittel pic.twitter.com/ldR8IyHowc
— Domestique (@Domestique___) July 25, 2025