Pogačar booed by the fans!

Another day of total domination by Tadej Pogačar at the Tour de France , and this time the four-time yellow jersey winner also responded to those who booed him on stage 10, finishing in Le Lioran. The Slovenian champion's message was clear and direct: the boos don't get him down, but rather they boost him.

"I enjoyed the day, and in the end, I didn't know if I would win until the last kilometer. Then I remembered this festive day—it was July 14th, the French Fête Nationale—and I wanted to honor the yellow jersey," Pogačar said in his flashy TV interview, before letting slip a heartfelt thought about the "haters" along the route: "Thanks to all the fans who came to the course today. The atmosphere was incredible, even with a few boos. To all those who booed: they give us even more power. Thank you, thank you."

An elegant response, but with a hint of defiance. Pogačar has long been a crowd favorite, but the overwhelming power of UAE Team Emirates-XRG is starting to tire some fans. July 14th is traditionally the day of romantic escapes at the Tour, with the roads packed with French riders dreaming of a local hero. Instead, over the 166.6 km distance through the Massif Central, we witnessed yet another episode of the UAE show.

No breakaway managed to break away in the early stages: the team kept the 31-rider group under control as it eventually broke away, only to then reabsorb them one by one with their luxury train at the head of the peloton, setting the stage for Pogačar's inevitable attack. The acceleration came with 15.5 km to go, and from that moment on, the champion was nowhere to be seen—winning solo, exactly as everyone expected, extending his overall lead to 3:36 over Jonas Vingegaard , second in the race.

If the Tour wasn't already virtually over after the devastating performance on the Col du Tourmalet in stage six, it now appears to be definitively over—barring any unforeseen circumstances. And this is something to keep in mind for fantasy cycling: betting on Pogačar as captain remains the most solid choice, but with such a wide margin, it's fair to start thinking about who might win a few stages in the coming days.

About an hour after the finish, at the press conference, the first question was, of course, about the boos. Pogačar responded with irony and philosophy: "Sure, I have my haters, and haters will always hate. That's just the way it is. In cycling, it's not that extreme yet; in tennis or football, there are a lot more boos, but there, it's one against the other, it's different."

The Slovenian then cited an unexpected but significant role model: Novak Djokovic , the Serbian tennis champion with 24 Grand Slam titles. "I always think of Novak Djokovic and his extraordinary mentality. I think he's had one of the most difficult careers, with so many jeers and unjustified hatred, precisely because he's the greatest. When someone comes against me, I think of him." A parallel that says a lot about how Pogačar sees himself in the world of sports.

The champion then downplayed the phenomenon: "In cycling, 99% of people cheer for everyone. When I see families on the side of the road, with one child in a Visma jersey, one in a Groupama jersey, and one in UAE, I understand that everyone has their favorite, but it's all in the family. It's beautiful to see."

Ultimately, Pogačar still has the overwhelming majority of the public behind him, admired as perhaps the greatest since the legendary Eddy Merckx era. But if he and the UAE continue to so completely dominate this 113th Tour de France, the fans' patience may wear thin. "Cycling fans are the best in all sports; we should be happy and grateful for all of them," Pogačar concluded. "And to all the whistlers: I think they only give my teammate more fuel, or add fuel to the fire."