The Slovenian superstar lost the yellow jersey in dramatic fashion after he cracked on the Col du Granon during stage 11, finishing more than two minutes behind new leader and stage winner Jonas Vingegaard of Jumbo-Visma.
It was an incredible result with the usually infallible Pogačar struggling to match his rivals for seemingly the first time in the 53 Tour de France stages he has contested across his young career.
With another huge day of climbing again on Stage 12, which includes an ascent of the Alpe d’Huez, Pogačar has a chance to fight his way back up the general classification.
However, 2010 Tour de France winner Andy Schleck believes the 23-year-old UAE Team Emirates rider has shown a lack of rider IQ in this year’s race and says Pogačar will need to change his approach if he is to win his third yellow jersey in Paris.
“I think Pogačar wastes a lot of energy in sprints and unnecessary attacks,” Schleck said.
“We saw yesterday, that he didn’t need to attack on the Col du Galibier and this combined with all the little extra efforts he has done in the past week took their toll on the final climb.
“In a three-week race like the Tour de France, there is only so many times a rider can push themselves to the limit."
While Luxembourg-born Schleck has his concerns for Pogačar, he still backs him to bounce back from his struggles.
Schleck says he doesn’t expect Pogačar’s fatigue on stage 11 to be an issue today on stage 12.
“It’s all on Pogačar now. He needs to take some time back so it will be fascinating to see how he goes about it,” Schleck said.
“He has to attack. In fact, he is my prediction to win stage 12 because I believe he will be very determined to make up for cracking on Galibier.
“With a night of rest in his body and a chance to refuel and recharge, I think it’s possible he returns to his best after all the fireworks yesterday.”
