Belgian star Wout van Aert has brushed off suggestions that Tadej Pogačar may have chosen the wrong preparation route for the 2026 Tour de France, joking that he hopes it is true but admitting he doubts it.
As Team Visma | Lease a Bike look to help Jonas Vingegaard reclaim the yellow jersey from the two-time defending champion, Van Aert believes Pogačar and his UAE Team Emirates-XRG setup know exactly what they are doing ahead of cycling’s biggest race.
Pogačar opted to skip this week’s Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and will instead make his final Tour de France appearance at the Tour de Suisse, a race he has yet to win. When asked whether the Slovenian had made the wrong choice in his build-up, Van Aert laughed: “Hopefully for us that’s true,” before dismissing any serious doubts about his rival’s preparation.
The debate over the ideal Tour preparation has intensified this year, with the leading contenders all taking different approaches. Vingegaard arrives after winning the Giro d’Italia, Paul Seixas is racing in France, Remco Evenepoel has focused solely on altitude training, while Pogačar will sharpen his form in Switzerland.
2026 Tour de France top contenders preparation
| Tadej Pogacar | Tour de Suisse (June 17-21) |
| Jonas Vingegaard | Giro d’Italia (May 8-31) – Won GC |
| Paul Seixas | Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (June 7-14) |
| Remco Evenepoel | No races – altitude training |
| Florian lipowitz | Tour of Slovenia (June 17-21) |
Despite the differing strategies, Van Aert remains convinced that Pogačar will be at his best when the race begins in Barcelona. He praised the Slovenian’s ability to reach peak condition through training alone, pointing to his success in the spring classics despite racing sparingly.
“I think Tadej is the best rider I know when it comes to preparing through training,” Van Aert said. “When you see how strong he is in the classics with very little racing, it’s clear that he, his team and his coaches know exactly what they’re doing.”
Meanwhile, Van Aert is continuing his own comeback after a training crash disrupted his preparations. The Belgian has endured a difficult week at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes but showed encouraging signs in the sprint stages and was targeting a stage victory before the race heads into the mountains.
“The confidence has always been there,” he said. “We’ll try again to make it a sprint finish, although with so few sprint teams here, that’s not always easy.”
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