ALPE D'HUEZ, France — Tadej Pogačar strides into the press conference in the weird little interview truck, crossing in front of the camera and into his seat. To his right is the Tour de France’s official translator; in front of him on the table, he is flanked by brand-compliant water bottles. He’s just ridden up Alpe d’Huez in the quickest time, ever – 35:27, more than a minute faster than Marco Pantani’s 1995 in-race record – but he looks perfectly calm, serene.
The translator looks over at him, says something softly, and Pogačar has a hint of a smile, raises his eyebrows, makes a little 'pfft' kind of sound. A few seconds later, he picks up his microphone for his fifth press conference as a stage winner in the 2026 Tour de France.
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