Manager of Tadej Pogačar understands Jonas Vingegaard's bodyguard idea

Tadej Pogačar’s manager can understand why Jonas Vingegaard fears a scenario during training where bodyguards might need to be called in to guarantee his safety. It is also a big problem for Pogačar that 'cycling fans' disrupt his training sessions.

Two-time Tour de France winner Vingegaard crashed near Málaga in January when amateur cyclists tried to keep up with him. “Right after the crash, I thought to myself: if this continues and gets worse, something really needs to be done,” Vingegaard said about the incident. “Riders might have to start training with a motorbike escort or a personal bodyguard so people can’t come too close. We need to protect ourselves.”

“It’s true that every year it becomes harder for the big stars of cycling to train alone on the road,” emphasizes Alex Carrera, who manages not only Pogačar but also riders like Isaac Del Toro.

Carrera: “A few months ago, in consultation with UAE Team Emirates’ management, XRG decided that Tadej will occasionally train wearing a different colored jersey. The sponsor names are still on it, but the color is different from the rainbow jersey or the team’s white jersey. That way, it takes ten seconds longer for people to recognize Tadej because he’s dressed differently than how they know him from races on TV.”

Pogačar notices he can train much more calmly with different clothing. “Otherwise, there are always cycling tourists trying to stay on his wheel or wanting to take a photo of him,” Carrera explains. “There are even people who chase him by car. With all the risks involved that something could happen during training.”

UAE Team Emirates XRG even frequently includes a scooter escort during joint training camps in Spain to keep people at a distance from Pogačar. Carrera: “It’s impossible to have someone ready all year to guard Tadej’s training sessions. However, we notice that wearing different clothing already helps and makes his individual rides much safer.”