Teams & Riders Tadej Pogačar discussion thread

[hayneplane]

Remco will be doing the Tour of Britain. Is better than going to Canada and from there to Rwanda.
Although there will be better participation in Canada and it will be a better test.

What is said about national teams
Belgium: No Wout, no Wellens in WC yes in European Championsjip
Yes: Van Gils, Cian, Nys, Campenaerts

Slovenia: No Mohoric, No Tratnik
Roglic in doubt 💀

I think Roglic will eventually go, but Slovenia's team is definitely *** this year. It all depends on Novak being able to control somewhat.

Definitely going to need some subtle trade team support to make things more comfortable.

 

[hayneplane]

No Wellens in the Belgian Worlds team is a massive surprise. In top shape, he'll be Remco's best domestique along with Campanearts if there's no Wout.

That's actually rough for Slovenia. At this point, Pogi might just have to go on a 100+ km solo from Mount Kigali and hope that G2 syndrome kicks in hard.

No Wellens is presumably a rider preference to stay home and fully focus on the Euro RR 1 week later.

 

[CyclistAbi]

He's actually only spoken about retirement once. But since then, he's been asked in every interview 😅

In this interview, I think he conveys a different feeling.
He's already said he'll go to the Tour for several years. Two weeks ago, even doubts were raised about whether he'd go in 2026... What we said, those statements and feelings, were emphasized given that was the 21st day of the Tour.

I don't know to be honest, he said in an interview above that (small) part of his mind is already occupied with retirement and honestly i believe it. That is normally he knows he will likely ride for a couple more years and that the team will make him ride the Tour often, still imagine if he wouldn't be able to win it any more, what next? Settle for stage hunting and podium positions? Doubt it.

 

[snipeheem]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1954255962258199024

View: https://x.com/lucasaganronald/status/1954255962258199024

 

[Savant12]

Better to go out on a high than do a Froome.

 

[Monsi]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1954255962258199024

View: https://x.com/lucasaganronald/status/1954255962258199024

So looks like from this, he won't go to Tre Valli then. It's Canada - WC ITT and RR - EC RR - Lombardia as his schedule for the rest of the season.

 

[scribers]

Better to go out on a high than do a Froome.

Many many before at the top of numerous sports thought and tried this. All seem to return after regret

 

[Shortcut]

So looks like from this, he won't go to Tre Valli then. It's Canada - WC ITT and RR - EC RR - Lombardia as his schedule for the rest of the season.

I love it. Perfect schedule if you ask me. I am pretty sure he will go all out in Quebec and if he wins he will go easy in Montreal. Also WC RR will be really difficult because of bad team so i except him going after gold on ITT.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Teddy is basically a pensioner already. He's retired except a few more Tour and monument wins.

 

[assisting]

Many many before at the top of numerous sports thought and tried this. All seem to return after regret

One can find numerous examples where it worked out fine. The recently deceased Laura Dahlmeier comes to mind. And before her Neuner did the same. Mark Spitz and Björn Borg are two more famous, although already faded, names.

 

[Berniece]

What is said about national teams
Belgium: No Wout, no Wellens in WC yes in European Championsjip
Yes: Van Gils, Cian, Nys, Campenaerts

Only Benoot, Campenaerts and Evenepoel are a certainty at the moment. Everyone else is on a shortlist.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

One can find numerous examples where it worked out fine. The recently deceased Laura Dahlmeier comes to mind. And before her Neuner did the same. Mark Spitz and Björn Borg are two more famous, although already faded, names.

But Borg just proves their point, he made multiple comeback attempts for a decade.

 

[King Of The Wolds]

Better to go out on a high than do a Froome.

Froome got paid well for doing something he loved. Better to do that.

 

[Cycling111]

Froome got paid well for doing something he loved. Better to do that.

I'd prefer see Pogacar retired than like Froome.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

One can find numerous examples where it worked out fine. The recently deceased Laura Dahlmeier comes to mind. And before her Neuner did the same. Mark Spitz and Björn Borg are two more famous, although already faded, names.

A lot of sports where the Olympics are completely central to prestige will see this, as athletes will retire after an Olympics if they have a big success and don't feel that they will still be on top four years later. Somebody like, say, Darya Domracheva, falls under that category, Mark Spitz also, of course, from your examples, and there are countless others in the classic 'higher, further, faster' Olympic disciplines as well.

Ones where they retire outside of that cycle at comparatively young ages tend to be a bit rarer, like Johannes Thingnes Bø's recent retirement. However, Dahlmeier as mentioned is a counterexample, while Martin Fourcade retired in 2020 at 31 years of age, winning literally his last race and being the 2nd best on the World Cup. Neuner is a bit in between; she didn't retire in the Olympic cycle, but she was afforded the chance to retire at a home World Championships having already achieved everything there was to achieve in the sport and made noises around wanting to start a family (this is also potentially a reason why early retirement may be more common in women's sport of course), so took that opportunity.

Another example from a sport where, though an Olympic sport, it is not central to the calendar, would be Marion Bartoli retiring at 28 almost immediately after winning at Wimbledon. But even then, both Bartoli and Spitz had brief, abortive comebacks, although the latter's was rather a publicity stunt nearly 20 years after his active career.

It seems like a lot of the time the crucial factor is that there needs to be something that keeps the athlete motivated and active in their retirement. Sometimes being too close to the sport can draw you back in (take Anna van der Breggen as an example), but because a lot of these people have dedicated their whole lives to sport for their entire adult life they are listless or unsure of how to proceed with regular life.

 

[Rou]

His contract expires in 2030.
So he has 5 years to win Roubaix and San Remo. I'm not talking about the Vuelta because he doesn't prioritize it and he might retire without it in his palmares.
His compatriot Primoz is 9 years older than him and doesn't talk about retirement as much as him.
Tadej needs to get his s*** together.

 

[Rou]

I'd prefer see Pogacar retired than like Froome.

I'd prefer to see Pogacar retire like Valverde.
At 39 he was a monster and podiumed a Grand Tour.
At 42 he was 4th at Emilia, 3rd at Varesine and 6th at Lombardia.
An ABSOLUTE UNIT.

 

[fenns]

Best to leave it all out there and have no regrets. You're a long time retired.

 

[Shortcut]

His contract expires in 2030.
So he has 5 years to win Roubaix and San Remo. I'm not talking about the Vuelta because he doesn't prioritize it and he might retire without it in his palmares.
His compatriot Primoz is 9 years older than him and doesn't talk about retirement as much as him.
Tadej needs to get his s*** together.

He will 100% not retire till 2031. He will go after Vuelta 100% next season. If he wins this year WC double and Lombardia and next year TdF he will not care about those race as he do now. He will do them but will not be under same pressure as he is now to win them. 5th TdF, 10 monuments amd two WC RR golds, puts him already behind Mercx. His talk about retirement is pretty clever i would say, since he shifted completely talks about him being boring to- "enjoy it, he will go soon."There is always simpathy with guys who wanted to retire sooner as they should. J.T. Boe this year is great example, he dominated everything and would dominate next three years easily and everybody was still cherring for him- one year before that he was "bad for biathlon". Now biathlon will go downhill without him. Maybe it will get closer but when you know there is someone much better who doesn't wanna race, makes competition not interesting somehow.

 

[Valv.Piti]

He was probably just asked about it since he spoke about it when he was semi depressed in France, handing stage wins out left and right and being cold and wanting to chill with Urska. Don't really think its a big deal - still lots of things to achieve in cycling.

 

[Rou]

Here is a list of races that Pog has missing and can add to his palmares (since he is bored and depressed). In terms of priority:
Paris - Roubaix
Milano - San Remo
Vuelta
WC TT
Tour de Suisse
Tour de Romandie
Itzulia
San Sebastian
Gent Wevelgem
EC RR
Some smaller races now but with rich history:
Milano - Torino
Paris - Tours
It appears that he has a lot of work to do before he retires.

 

[peterfin]

A lot of sports where the Olympics are completely central to prestige will see this, as athletes will retire after an Olympics if they have a big success and don't feel that they will still be on top four years later. Somebody like, say, Darya Domracheva, falls under that category, Mark Spitz also, of course, from your examples, and there are countless others in the classic 'higher, further, faster' Olympic disciplines as well.

Ones where they retire outside of that cycle at comparatively young ages tend to be a bit rarer, like Johannes Thingnes Bø's recent retirement. However, Dahlmeier as mentioned is a counterexample, while Martin Fourcade retired in 2020 at 31 years of age, winning literally his last race and being the 2nd best on the World Cup. Neuner is a bit in between; she didn't retire in the Olympic cycle, but she was afforded the chance to retire at a home World Championships having already achieved everything there was to achieve in the sport and made noises around wanting to start a family (this is also potentially a reason why early retirement may be more common in women's sport of course), so took that opportunity.

Another example from a sport where, though an Olympic sport, it is not central to the calendar, would be Marion Bartoli retiring at 28 almost immediately after winning at Wimbledon. But even then, both Bartoli and Spitz had brief, abortive comebacks, although the latter's was rather a publicity stunt nearly 20 years after his active career.

It seems like a lot of the time the crucial factor is that there needs to be something that keeps the athlete motivated and active in their retirement. Sometimes being too close to the sport can draw you back in (take Anna van der Breggen as an example), but because a lot of these people have dedicated their whole lives to sport for their entire adult life they are listless or unsure of how to proceed with regular life.

Clijsters is an example of somebody who first retired at an age of only 23 in a sport that has major events all year. Injuries and starting a family were her major drivers to stop as her athletic style asked a lot of her body (she had a famous defending style sliding to balls full split). She came back better than before to win 3 additional grand slams and become number 1 in the sport. She retired at the age of 28. She then focussed on her family but stayed involved in the sport. She tried another comeback at 37 but the timing of it was unfortunate (a few months before covid started) and she officially retired again 2 years later.

 

[Rou]

He will go after Vuelta 100% next season.

Not gonna happen. He already said he will aim for Paris - Roubaix next year.
World's RR will be in Canada in 2026 so he will not do the Vuelta again.
I see him trying the Vuelta in 2028 because World's will be a sprinter's race in Abu Dhabi. The problem is he'll be 30 and we don't know what the level of his rivals will be.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

I'd prefer see Pogacar retired than like Froome.

Judging by recent comments Pogi may retire before Froomey.

 

[Brullnux]

His contract expires in 2030.
So he has 5 years to win Roubaix and San Remo. I'm not talking about the Vuelta because he doesn't prioritize it and he might retire without it in his palmares.
His compatriot Primoz is 9 years older than him and doesn't talk about retirement as much as him.
Tadej needs to get his s*** together.

Roglic has only done nine years of top level pro cycling, Pogacar has done six. By 2030 he'll have done 11 years at the very top, which is a perfectly normal career. I don't think you can judge someone's career and motivation solely by age, you have to take into account how long they're at an elite level too. Compare Pogacar to someone like Nibali, who spent four-five years working up to the top, ten years at the top, then retired. It's a normal trajectory, but Pogacar skipped the four-five years of apprenticeship, so it's natural he is more mentally fatigued.

Perhaps there's also something to be said for a longer apprenticeship period giving you more motivation or mental fortitude to continue for longer. But that's conjecture.