Anticipated Developments in Tour de France's Second Week According to Pogacar
**Tadej Pogačar Targets Second-Week Triumph in 2025 Tour de France**
Two-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogačar has revealed his strategic plans for the second week of this year's race, focusing on the mountainous stages and aiming for redemption after an early-stage crash.
In an interview, Pogačar expressed his determination to excel in the challenging Pyrenean giant mountain, Hautacam, on Wednesday, where he anticipates the change of overall lead to occur. He admitted that the first week of the Tour had been "explosive, nervous, stressful, and super-hard," but he remains optimistic about the upcoming stages.
Pogačar, who is currently second, 29 seconds behind leader Ben Healy, does not feel pressured to attack. Instead, he believes it is up to his rivals to make a move. However, he does not rule out significant gaps in the standings in the upcoming days, particularly on the mountain stages.
The Slovenian cyclist is confident in his team's support and his own mountain-top time trial strengths, which he believes will play a crucial role in the race's latter stages. Pogačar has accumulated a strong base of stage racing training, having performed well in block stage races and with a successful spring classics campaign under his belt.
However, Pogačar faces several challenges in the second week. He must match or exceed the performance of his main competitors, notably Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel, overcome any residual effects from his crash, maintain his form, and capitalise on mountain stages, particularly the high-altitude time trial.
The second week of the Tour is expected to be as challenging as the final week, with the stage 13 time-trial at Peyragudes exciting Pogačar. He finds the race harder to control due to the strong performance of all riders, including newcomers like Ben Healy and Kevin Vauquelin.
Two-time champion Jonas Vingegaard is fourth, 1 minute and 17 seconds behind Pogačar, while Remco Evenepoel is third, one minute behind the Slovenian. Pogačar seems concerned about a past performance involving a time-trial and a mountain slog, but he remains focused on regaining the yellow jersey.
Pogačar's rival Vingegaard has complained about the heat, tiredness, and stonewall tactics from Pogačar's team, while Pogačar has expressed hope that Ben Healy will feel tired. Pogačar predicts that week two will be faster due to being a day shorter, and he finds the presence of new riders refreshing.
According to Pogačar, the Tour is not building towards a finale in week three as usual, and he anticipates significant gaps in the standings in the upcoming days. The phrase "everyone knows that this is where the Tour starts" is attributed to Remco Evenepoel, highlighting the importance of the second week in this year's race.
[1] AFP, 2025 [2] Cycling News, 2025 [3] Velonews, 2025
Tadej Pogačar mentioned his intention to compete in a sports event taking place in France, the Tour de France, in the upcoming year, 2025. He specifically highlighted his ambition to conquer the challenging Pyrenean giant mountain, Hautacam, in that tournament.
