Current European and world champion, four-time Tour de France winner, Giro d’Italia champion, with ten Monument victories and numerous other wins to his name: there is no doubt that Tadej Pogačar is the best rider in the world and perhaps of all time. What do you give a cyclist who has already won almost everything? Challenges. That’s why the Slovenian team leader of UAE Emirates XRG will line up next year at the Tour of Romandie and the Tour de Suisse.
Pogačar starts relatively late and calmly in 2026. His first race is Strade Bianche, after which he will focus only on the classics until the end of April: Milan-San Remo, Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. “Do I enjoy those more? The classics are just one day. Everything is concentrated on that one day. I like that. In the Tour, there is pressure every day. It’s impossible to enjoy the Tour as much as the classics. Going full gas over 21 stages is a completely different job. Only after three weeks can you be happy.”
No battles with Evenepoel and Vingegaard
In the classics, Pogačar will not be facing Remco Evenepoel. The Olympic champion is focusing exclusively on the Tour. “I’ve seen for myself that this combination works. Of course, it’s harder to ride a Monument or big classics every week, then switch to climbing and prepare for the Tour. Sometimes I’d like to race a few stage races in the early season as well. I understand Remco’s decision. Everyone finds their own way to ultimately try to win.”
Pogacar and Evenepoel will meet again only at the Tour – photo: fotopersburo Cor Vos
Pogačar will also not clash with Jonas Vingegaard, at least not in the Giro d’Italia. In Denmark, rumors say that the Visma | Lease a Bike leader might skip the Tour. “That would be a shame, because as I always say, everyone wants to compete against the best rivals at the highest level. In the best shape, without bad luck or anything else. That makes victories more valuable. But Jonas has to choose what’s best for him. I definitely won’t call him to tell him he has to do the Tour. That’s not up to me. Although, of course, I hope he does.”
Making history is not easy
A Danish journalist then asked ‘for a friend’ whether Pogačar could guarantee he would skip the Giro. “I can’t,” he grins. “My experience tells me that my mind can decide something different at the last moment—even in a split second—causing the whole calendar and program to collapse. Everything is open until the registration deadline passes. Do I feel like I’m making history? After all these years and many victories, I do realize that I’m achieving something unique. I enjoy the process and hope to write many more chapters in this book.”
The 2024 Tour podium: Vingegaard, Pogacar and Lipowitz – photo: fotopersburo Cor Vos
Yet that is much harder than it sometimes looks with Pogačar. “The battles we fight against the top riders are always very close in level. Even though it may not always seem that way, I feel the gaps are never big and the efforts are always intense. Sometimes there’s four or five minutes difference, but that gap is always much smaller than it really is. Furthermore, there is always the threat of new, young heroes lurking. Just look at last year’s Tour with Florian Lipowitz and Oscar Onley. Trying to be the best sometimes seems easy, but it’s not.”
Challenges for the future
By adding the Tours of Romandie and Switzerland to his program, Pogačar intends to shrink the list of races he hasn’t won yet this year. Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix are still on that list. “If I win those last two races, then you could say there’s not much more to win on the calendar. But there’s always something. There are quite a few week-long stage races I’ve never done, and I haven’t won the Vuelta a España yet either. There’s really still plenty out there. You can also win races in different scenarios.”
“Well, the years go by quickly,” continues the Slovenian. “There’s not much time left to try to win everything. The cycling calendar is just too big for that. There are many big races but also really beautiful smaller races. I’m not rushing to try to win as many different races as possible. I also enjoy returning to races and trying to win them again in some cases. But I’m not obsessed with winning all those races, as some people think. Not even for Roubaix or La Primavera.”
Being a normal person
That Pogačar is the superstar of cycling is something he experiences firsthand daily. “I will never say it was easy to reach this level. And certainly not to stay there. I work very hard for it, and yes, I get tired too. There’s always a lot of pressure, lots of media, obligations to sponsors. That’s tough, but not impossible. I try to enjoy these peak years as much as possible and make the best of them. Also in my personal life and with the people around me. The only thing I would want is to sometimes be a normal person.”
His slim race schedule helps with that. “I like that because I don’t have too many race days. I’m also lucky that I can choose some of my races and say ‘no’ to invitations if they might hurt me in other races. A luxury. Because there are riders who have to fill spots in teams. They sometimes reach eighty race days and live out of suitcases. Then it’s really hard to beat the best riders. I have that luxury because I can rest a lot between races throughout the season.”
“That works very well for me personally,” Pogačar explains his recent success. “I don’t do too much. In recent years, I’ve been around sixty race days. Of course, it’s always a lot at the end of a season. But fewer race days are my preference. I’d rather win what I win in sixty race days than win two fewer races with eighty race days. But I don’t want to go down to forty race days just to win five times. I think the team and I have found the right balance in recent years.”
Tadej Pogačar| Race | Date |
|---|---|
 Strade Bianche | 7 Mar |
| Milano-Sanremo | 21 Mar |
 Ronde van Vlaanderen | 5 Apr |
 Paris-Roubaix | 12 Apr |
| Liège-Bastogne-Liège | 26 Apr |
 Tour de Romandie | 28 Apr - 3 May |
| Tour de Suisse | 17 Jun - 21 Jun |
| Tour de France | 4 Jul - 26 Jul |
