The climax of the 2025 cycling season is approaching for Tadej Pogačar. After his fourth Tour de France victory, he decided to take a long break from racing. Now, he aims to prepare in Canada for the World Championships in Rwanda, where he will be going for a title defence. Québec and Montréal will reveal how his form stands, especially since he started this long racing block without a high-altitude training camp. For Québec, he is already keeping an option open.
On Wednesday, the press conference with the 'main players' of the Canadian WorldTour races was split into two parts. Five riders were announced, but it was essentially one press conference, followed by a Q&A session with other riders. Tour winner and world champion Pogačar had the privilege of addressing all the media in a press conference, after which Wout van Aert, Arnaud De Lie, Michael Matthews, and Julian Alaphilippe sat down at smaller tables.
Pogačar signed some jerseys for the organizers, answered various questions for 17 minutes, and posed for a photo opportunity before leaving again. The press conference touched on many topics, but mostly focused on his buildup toward the World Championships. Because in recent weeks, there’s been radio silence from Team Pogačar. So how has he experienced the past period?
"After the Tour de France, I had some rest at home, did some training, and followed Urska in her races," he refers to his fiancée Urska Zigart, who races for AG Insurance-Soudal. "Now I’m back here for the final part of the season. I’m happy with how my summer went. I’ve had some ups and downs. It’s the end of the season, so you get tired or sick more easily, but now I’m here."
After the spring season and the Tour, this autumn block is Pogačar’s next peak in 2025, but he is not exactly sure of his form level yet. "It’s always tough to get into good shape late in the season, but I still have motivation left for the six races coming up. The World Championships have always been a big goal, and I hope I can be well prepared there in two or three weeks."
Tadej Pogačar| Race | Date |
|---|---|
 Milano-Sanremo | 21 Mar |
 Paris-Roubaix | 12 Apr |
| Tour de France | 4 Jul - 26 Jul |
 UCI World Championship Montréal | 27 Sep |
No altitude camp
"I hope my peak form will be at the World Championships. That is the main goal for this part of the season; after that, I hope to maintain that form through Lombardia," Pogačar tells WielerFlits. That means he will need to sustain top form for about two weeks. "And then I have vacation. That would be nice, but you never know how form can change. It’s all about feeling, go with the flow."
"I didn’t do a high-altitude training camp for this block. I mostly stayed home and trained there, which went pretty well. It would have helped for the World Championships, especially for the time trial, to be adapted to the altitude. Rwanda is quite high in elevation, but I couldn’t fit another big altitude block into my schedule," he explains.
Right after the World Championships in Rwanda comes the European Championship in southern France, where Pogačar also sees opportunities. "The schedule is quite tight, but I’m skipping the time trial at the European Champs, which gives enough time to recover. The only downside is the long travel from Rwanda, but there’s no time difference, for example. That should be manageable."
Québec and Montréal
The races in Canada should suit Pogačar, although he knows Montréal is more ‘his’ terrain. Still, the route in Québec has been slightly adjusted. "Nothing major, but the final climb is now a bit longer, instead of three short kicks. I think the race could be easier, but the final sprint will therefore be tougher. It will be interesting to see if the route change alters how the race unfolds."
"We have a strong team for Québec and many options to play. We have Jhonny (Jhonatan Narváez, ed.) who is very fast in the finale, and Brandon McNulty is in incredible shape. This will be my first race after the Tour, so I have to see how my legs feel and whether I can help my team to a win. That would be fantastic."
"But Montréal suits me much better. Québec is more punchy and Montréal is more for climbers, but with a good day and good legs I can compete in Québec as well. Last year I came up short. It’s not my goal to win both races, but I wouldn’t say ‘no’ either. Then I’m realistic," he says with a wink. "It’s not the end of the world if I lose once; that’s normal. I see Québec as good preparation for Sunday and for the World Championships."
The Canadian races are also a chance for Pogačar to get one over Wout van Aert, after the Belgian took the win in the Montmartre stage on the final day of the Tour de France. "If Wout is here, he will want to compete for the win. He won’t be racing much more, so he’ll be in good shape. We’ll see if there’s a rematch, but there are also many other strong riders."
