Tour de France 2026: Tadej Pogacar expects 'big fight' to retain crown as defending champion explains new peroxide blond haircut

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Defending Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar expects another fierce battle for the yellow jersey, predicting a "big fight" despite arriving as the overwhelming favourite to retain his crown. Jonas Vingegaard appears primed to mount another challenge after his dominant Giro d'Italia triumph.

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While the rivalry between the two remains the race's defining storyline, Pogacar's own UAE Team Emirates-XRG team-mate, Isaac del Toro, has also been tipped by many as a potential challenger following his breakthrough season.

Meanwhile, French teenage sensation Paul Seixas (Decathlon-CMA CGM) has emerged as one of the sport's brightest talents following a remarkable breakthrough season.

Pogacar, however, sent a reminder of his own form at the Tour de Suisse, where the world champion dismantled the field with a series of commanding performances to underline why he remains the man to beat.

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Asked whether this year's general classification field was the strongest of his career, the four-time winner said the Tour always attracted the very best riders.

"I always think in the Tour comes the best competition, the best competitors," Pogacar said at his presentation on Thursday.

"Everybody is in top shape for the Tour. I think there's going to be a big fight for victory, definitely."

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Pogacar has already said he feels stronger than he did in 2025, when he swept to a fourth Tour title while winning four stages.

That success lifted him to 21 Tour stage victories, sixth on the all-time list, leaving him 14 behind Mark Cavendish's record of 35.

The Slovenian said his preparation had followed the familiar transition from the Spring Classics to Grand Tour racing.

While he had continued strength work in the gym, his emphasis had shifted firmly towards climbing during training camps in Sierra Nevada and around Monaco.

"I still kept going to the gym, a bit less than before the Classics," Pogacar said.

"The focus was more on the big mountains now and training was good in Sierra Nevada and in Monaco with the big climbs."

Pogacar also explained the thinking behind his eye-catching new hairstyle, revealing it was simply a solution to some leftover hair colouring from earlier in the season.

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"We had to do a haircut and we had some colour bleach left from earlier in the season, and we said, 'Yeah, let's do it,'" he joked.

The 27-year-old begins the Tour in Barcelona chasing a fifth overall title, which would see him join Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain as the only riders to reach that landmark.

Looking ahead to Saturday's opening team time trial, Pogacar said UAE's immediate objective was to produce a cohesive performance rather than focus on who would wear the first yellow jersey.

"The first goal for Saturday is that we collaborate good as a team and do a good team time trial," he added.

"I think one of the best victories in cycling is if you can win the team time trial. A lot of teams will go for it on Saturday, but so will we."

How does the team time trial work on Stage 1 of the 2026 Tour de France?

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Vingegaard's unexpected Trump disruption

Vingegaard is expected to push Pogacar close once more. The Visma-Lease a Bike rider was unbeatable at the Giro d'Italia, winning five stages and cruising to overall victory to complete a full set of Grand Tour victories - but he will be hoping for a far smoother ride than his recent experience in Geneva.

As part of his preparations for the Tour de France, the Dane headed to the French Alps for a final training camp in Tignes.

Vingegaard was able to prepare under good altitude conditions for La Grande Boucle, but the start of his appointment was far from ideal, caused by none other than US President Donald Trump.

How Vingegaard's training was disrupted by U.S. president Trump - 'It took five hours'

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Arriving on his Air Force One, Trump was in Evian-les-Bains for the G7 summit - and the ripple effect on his presence impacted upon Vingegaard, who was disrupted by hours of delays after security measures brought traffic to a standstill.

Vingegaard has enjoyed a flawless record in stage racing this season, winning all three of the races he has started, but he confirmed the rumours of Trump's disruption were true.

"Yeah, he did," Vingegaard said. "I had to go to Tignes and I had no clue there was this G7 meeting in Geneva.

"They blocked basically every border to get out of there or in, so it took me five hours to cross the border."

As the situation worsened, they considered finding accommodation for the night, uncertain they would reach Tignes in time. They eventually crossed into Switzerland and stopped near Geneva.

Former professional rider Nathan Van Hooydonck, who travelled with Vingegaard, later recounted the unusual journey on the De Rode Lantaarn podcast and reflected that what should have been a short transfer had taken hours, calling the experience "absolutely terrible."

Having put the drama behind him, Vingegaard is refusing to put too much pressure on himself to be wearing the yellow jersey come Saturday night, but hopes to make a positive start in his bid to reclaim the GC crown for the first time since 2023.

"It's obviously very big," Vingegaard added. "I'm really motivated. I'm really in good shape, and I'm really ready to fight here for the next three weeks.

"I think the first priority is just to go as fast as possible and then you can think about that [the yellow jersey] later."

How to watch the 2026 Tour de France on TNT Sports and HBO Max

Watch every stage of the 2026 Tour de France from start to finish live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.

Orla Chennaoui will once again front the live coverage, with Robbie McEwen, Matt Stephens and Adam Blythe on pundit duty throughout the race. The Breakaway heads onsite to the legendary Alpe d'Huez for the final week ahead of the double ascent on Stages 19 and 20, before a speedy transfer to Paris for the finale on Sunday, July 26.

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