Erola Jons / Tadej Pogačar Interview Controversy Explained

Spanish influencer Erola Jons sparked a controversy at the 2026 Vuelta a España after using her trademark flirtatious social-media style while working as an official content creator for the race, including an awkward interaction with cycling superstar Tadej Pogačar. Critics accused the content of sexualizing riders, disrespecting professional cyclists and undermining women who had spent years establishing themselves as serious professionals in the sport. Pogačar’s UAE Team Emirates-XRG raised concerns with race organizers, who subsequently restricted Jons’ access to riders and instructed her to change the tone of her content. Jons has remained with the race and, after the backlash, said that she intended to continue producing content while acknowledging that the controversy had “broken the internet.”

Why Erola Jons Was Working At La Vuelta

La Vuelta Hired Jons To Reach A Younger Social-Media Audience. Race organizer Unipublic brought Jons into its digital coverage to create entertainment-oriented material for the Vuelta’s YouTube and Twitch channels. The 28-year-old Spanish creator had accumulated more than six million followers across TikTok and Instagram and was already known for videos built around flirting with strangers and recording their reactions. Organizers said the goal was to reach younger viewers who might not normally follow professional cycling. [EL PAÍS] [Cyclingnews]

Jons Was Given Unusually Close Access To Riders And Restricted Areas. For her official streams, Jons received a Vuelta microphone and behind-the-scenes access that allowed her to move through areas normally restricted to cyclists, team personnel, race officials and selected accredited media. That access became a major part of the controversy once her interactions with riders began spreading online. [EL PAÍS] [Cyclingnews]

The Tadej Pogačar Interaction

Jons Tried To Get Pogačar’s Attention While Calling Him “Pogachitar.” After Pogačar won the opening time trial in Monaco, Jons waited near the podium area and repeatedly attempted to get his attention while referring to the Slovenian star with variations of the nickname “Pogachitar.” The encounter occurred while Pogačar and his team were moving through their tightly scheduled post-stage obligations. [EL PAÍS] [El Desmarque]

Jons Asked Pogačar Why He “Hyperventilates” Whenever He Sees Her. When Jons finally reached Pogačar, she asked him why he hyperventilated every time he saw her. The confused rider initially responded, “What?” and asked what she meant. After she explained that she meant breathing, Pogačar replied that he breathes “24/7” before being moved along to continue his post-race duties. [Cyclingnews] [EL PAÍS]

Jons Said Pogačar Was First In Her Own “General Classification.” During the stream, Jons admitted that she did not know where Pogačar stood in the race standings but joked that he was first in her personal classification. Pogačar had in fact just won the opening stage and taken the race leader’s red jersey. [EL PAÍS]

Jons Asked Pogačar To Take Her For A Ride. While watching Pogačar, Jons called him cute and said, “Pogachitar, take me for a ride too.” She also made comments about the riders’ tight clothing and the transparency of their jerseys, adding to complaints that official Vuelta content was sexualizing professional athletes. [EL PAÍS] [Eurosport]

Jons Was Criticized For Looking Toward Pogačar While He Was Changing. Jons filmed around the podium truck as Pogačar changed clothing for the post-stage ceremonies and attempted to look toward him while waiting for an interview. Critics argued that giving an entertainment creator access to such an area created unnecessary privacy concerns for athletes. [EL PAÍS]

Josh Tarling Controversy

Jons Also Said She Had 20 Stages To “Win Over” Josh Tarling. Jons attempted to approach British cyclist Josh Tarling and, after failing to get an interview, told viewers that he apparently did not like her interviews but that she still had approximately 20 stages to win him over. She added that she would win him over quickly. [EFE] [EL PAÍS]

Tarling Was Racing Days After The Death Of His Younger Brother. The remarks drew additional criticism because Tarling’s 19-year-old brother Finlay had died following an accident during the Volta a Portugal only days before the Vuelta began. There is no evidence that Jons knew the details of Tarling’s family situation when she made the remarks. [Reuters] [Artículo 14]

Backlash From Cycling Journalists

Laura Meseguer Said The Content Was Sexist And Objectified Riders. Veteran cycling journalist Laura Meseguer argued that women had spent years fighting to gain professional opportunities and respect in the male-dominated sport and said bringing in someone without cycling expertise to produce sexualized content represented a serious mistake. She argued that neither male nor female athletes should have to tolerate being treated like objects. [Eurosport] [EL PAÍS]

Critics Said Jons’ Role Undermined Female Cycling Professionals. Meseguer and other critics argued that the controversy was particularly frustrating for female reporters who had worked for years to overcome stereotypes and be treated as knowledgeable sports professionals. The criticism focused not merely on Jons herself but on La Vuelta’s decision to select that particular style of content for its official coverage. [EL PAÍS]

UAE Team Emirates Complained

Pogačar’s Team Raised Concerns With La Vuelta. UAE Team Emirates-XRG contacted organizers following the interactions involving Pogačar. Unipublic said the team asked whether Jons would continue appearing at the race and requested that its communications department be consulted before she approached UAE riders in the future. [EL PAÍS]

La Vuelta Restricts Jons’ Access

Organizers Officially Told Jons To Change The Tone And Style Of Her Content. La Vuelta asked Jons to adapt her material to the context of what organizers described as a top-level professional sporting competition. The organization did not fire her and said she would remain part of its digital coverage through the end of the race. [EFE]

Jons Can No Longer Freely Approach Riders. Under the revised rules, Jons must obtain permission from a rider’s team before interviewing or directly interacting with that cyclist. The change removed the unrestricted access that had allowed her to approach riders during the opening stage. [EFE] [EL PAÍS]

Reports Said Jons Lost Access To The Mixed Zone And Team-Bus Areas. Cyclingnews reported that the restrictions meant Jons would no longer have access to the mixed zone, team buses or other areas where she could freely interact with cyclists. Her ability to speak with riders would instead depend on permission from their teams. [Cyclingnews]

La Vuelta Defends Hiring Jons

Unipublic Said Jons Was Never Supposed To Be A Traditional Journalist. Race organizers defended the underlying idea behind her hiring, saying Jons was brought in to produce humor and entertainment rather than conventional reporting. Unipublic said her role should be understood as a different form of communication designed to bring the race to new audiences. [EL PAÍS]

Organizers Kept Jons Despite Acknowledging That Her Format Needed To Change. Rather than terminating the collaboration, La Vuelta adopted a compromise: Jons would remain through the race but her interactions with athletes would be controlled and her content would have to better reflect the professional setting. [EFE] [Cyclingnews]

Pogačar’s Reaction

Pogačar Said He Barely Remembered The Controversial Encounter. When reporters later asked Pogačar about the viral interaction, he appeared confused by the question and said he did not really know what they were referring to. Reporting from EL PAÍS indicated that Pogačar had not fully understood the original exchange and did not appear to regard the incident with the same importance it had acquired online. [EL PAÍS]

Jons Responds To The Controversy

Jons Said The Controversy Had “Broken The Internet.” In her first public response to the backlash, Jons returned to an official Vuelta broadcast and told viewers that many had been waiting to see what she would do next. She said they would continue giving the coverage energy and declared that the previous day they had “broken the internet.” Her response did not include an apology for the interactions that had prompted the criticism. [Artículo 14]

Jons Indicated That She Intended To Continue Producing Content. Jons told viewers not to worry because she would continue bringing energy to the broadcasts. Although she did not retreat from her role, the nature of the content produced after organizers intervened was significantly different from the opening-stage stream. [Artículo 14]

Her Next Stream Focused More On Fans And Less On Riders. After the restrictions took effect, Jons stopped roaming around team buses and riders in the same manner as during the opening stage. Her subsequent content instead concentrated more heavily on spectators, including a segment in which she questioned fans about cycling and offered a jersey as a prize. [Artículo 14]

Alberto Contador And Eurosport Criticize La Vuelta

Alberto Contador Said La Vuelta Knew It Had Made A Mistake. Former Tour de France and Vuelta champion Alberto Contador discussed the controversy during Eurosport’s coverage and said he understood that La Vuelta knew it had made a mistake in the type of influencer it selected. Contador said bringing creators from outside traditional cycling media into the sport could be positive, but argued that their profile needed to fit the event and meet basic professional standards. [Eurosport]

Javier Ares Called The Decision A Clear Mistake By La Vuelta. Eurosport commentator Javier Ares similarly criticized the organizers rather than placing all of the responsibility on Jons. He said the idea of using a content creator to increase the race’s reach was reasonable but argued that La Vuelta had selected the wrong person and the wrong concept for the role. [Eurosport]

Former Cyclist Juan Antonio Flecha Offered A More Moderate View. During the same Eurosport discussion, former professional cyclist Juan Antonio Flecha said he viewed Jons’ comments more as teasing than outright disrespect, although he acknowledged that the encounter was uncomfortable and lacked sensitivity. He also argued that mistakes happen and that people should be allowed to learn from them. [Eurosport]

Current Status

Jons Remains Part Of The 2026 Vuelta But Under New Restrictions. As of August 25, 2026, La Vuelta has not removed Jons from its digital team. She is expected to continue creating content during the race, but with restrictions on her access to professional cyclists and instructions to modify the tone of her work. Her subsequent coverage has already shifted away from direct, unsolicited interactions with riders. [EFE] [Artículo 14]

Pogačar Has Not Publicly Accused Jons Of Harassment Or Demanded Her Removal. The strongest institutional response has come from his UAE team and from La Vuelta itself. Pogačar’s own public reaction was considerably more muted: when asked about the controversy, he indicated that he barely remembered or understood the interaction. [EL PAÍS]

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