Tadej Pogačar and Isaac del Toro visit partners at Tour de France Femmes

There was just one week between the end of the men's Tour de France and the start of the Tour de France Femmes. For cycling fans, that means more than a month of racing at the very highest level with only a short break in between. It also gave Tadej Pogačar and Isaac del Toro the opportunity to visit and support their partners while they raced in France.

Pogačar and Urška Žigart have long been one of cycling's best-known couples. The Slovenian AG Insurance-Soudal rider is competing in her second Tour de France Femmes after making her debut in 2022, when she finished 29th in the general classification. There were reasons to expect more this year, particularly after she finished eighth at the Giro d'Italia earlier in the season. However, a serious crash in the Tour de Suisse complicated her efforts.

For a long time, it appeared Žigart might not recover in time to ride the Tour at all, but she made rapid progress from her injuries and ultimately took the start in Lausanne. A genuine GC challenge is no longer on the cards, though. The 29-year-old climber sits 51st overall after illness also affected her during the opening days of the race.

Žigart found things difficult again on Mont Ventoux, but this time she had some extra support waiting by the roadside. Pogačar had travelled to the race to cheer on his fiancée. Žigart initially rode in a group that also included Pauline Ferrand-Prévot before eventually losing contact. Riding on the wheel of VolkerWessels rider Quinty Schoens, she passed Pogačar on the climb — and the five-time Tour de France winner responded by giving her a little push in the back. The mental boost may have been more valuable than the physical one. Žigart eventually finished 26th on Mont Ventoux.

Pogačar was not the only men's Tour de France star to make an appearance at the Tour de France Femmes. His UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammate Isaac del Toro is in a relationship with Lotto-Intermarché rider Romina Hinojosa. The Mexican, who finished third overall in the Tour de France just a week earlier, was there to support her on her Tour debut.

The 23-year-old Hinojosa has endured an eventful Tour so far. Lotto-Intermarché was reduced to just three riders after only three stages, while the Mexican herself had to battle against the time limit during the opening days. She managed to survive those difficult stages, however, and her performances have improved considerably since then. Hinojosa even made it into the breakaway on the road towards Mont Ventoux before eventually finishing 42nd in the eighth stage, which was won by Demi Vollering.