For the second time at this year’s Tour de France, Tadej Pogačar has handed over the yellow jersey. After stage 10 from Ennezat to Le Mont-Dore Puy de Sancy, Ben Healy will wear the race leader’s jersey going into stage 11 on Wednesday 16th July. A long day in the break saw the Irishman gain over four minutes on the favourites and move into yellow by 29 seconds – but this was no crisis for UAE Team Emirates.
Back on stage 5, Pogačar had produced a dominant time trial to take control of the general classification, the mountains classification, and the green jersey all at once. But just a day later, all three jerseys had changed hands. The breakaway was allowed to gain over seven minutes on stage 6 – Mathieu van der Poel took yellow by a single second, Tim Wellens moved back into the polka dot jersey, and the green jersey returned to Jonathan Milan after the intermediate sprint.
This was part of a clear shift in priorities. UAE never said they were actively trying to give away yellow, but they weren’t unhappy to see it go. Handing over the jersey meant less protocol for Pogačar, fewer post-stage responsibilities, and a brief reduction in media pressure. That pattern repeated itself on stage 10, though this time with a slightly different dynamic.
The break on the road to Le Mont-Dore included no major GC threats – and that’s exactly why UAE allowed it to go. With Healy sitting 3:55 down on GC at the start of the day, there was no urgency to bring him back. The Irish rider took full advantage, working all day in the escape group before finishing third on the stage and moving into the race lead. Pogačar, Vingegaard and the rest of the overall contenders arrived 4:20 later, losing time but not position to any of their direct rivals.
Photo Credit: A.S.O./Billy CeustersThe gap was enough for the jersey to change hands again, but not enough to cause alarm. Healy now leads by 29 seconds, a margin Pogačar could overturn on any number of upcoming stages. The profile of stage 11 is unlikely to bring GC action, but the mountains are approaching and the Tour’s biggest summit finishes still lie ahead.
Letting go of the polka dot jersey had already been on UAE’s agenda. Pogačar wore it into the time trial on stage 5, but only because he happened to have taken points earlier in the race. It was never a target. Wellens reclaimed it on stage 6 after deliberately going on the attack – a move that gave the team another visible presence without burdening their GC leader. The green jersey, meanwhile, was always going to return to a pure sprinter, and Milan has now reasserted control there.
Pogačar remains the best-placed GC favourite and still holds a minute over Remco Evenepoel, with Jonas Vingegaard and others close behind. The jersey might be on someone else’s shoulders for now, but that suits UAE just fine. The plan remains the same – conserve energy, avoid unnecessary pressure, and wait for the right moment to take yellow back.
