Teams & Riders Tadej Pogačar discussion thread

[Peyroteo94]

No Vuelta next year. Probably same schedule.

As speculation continues over his future race programme, Matxin also hinted that Pogacar is unlikely to ride the 2026 Vuelta a España. With next year’s World Championships course expected to suit him perfectly, combining both with the Tour is not part of the plan.
“It’s definitely an objective we’d like to target at some point — absolutely, one hundred per cent,” Matxin said. “But with the current calendar, if you want to do the Tour, Vuelta and Worlds, that means being away from home for four months and staying at peak form the entire time. Right now, that’s not the most feasible approach from a physiological standpoint.”

“A living legend of cycling”: Matxin reveals Tadej Pogacar’s 2026 target as UAE Team Emirates set sights on fifth Tour de France

Tadej Pogacar and UAE Team Emirates are already looking ahead to 2026 — and the mission is clear. After a historic 2025 season in which the Slovenian superstar claimed his fourth Tour de France title,...

cyclinguptodate.com

 

[Monsi]

No Vuelta next year. Probably same schedule.

As speculation continues over his future race programme, Matxin also hinted that Pogacar is unlikely to ride the 2026 Vuelta a España. With next year’s World Championships course expected to suit him perfectly, combining both with the Tour is not part of the plan.
“It’s definitely an objective we’d like to target at some point — absolutely, one hundred per cent,” Matxin said. “But with the current calendar, if you want to do the Tour, Vuelta and Worlds, that means being away from home for four months and staying at peak form the entire time. Right now, that’s not the most feasible approach from a physiological standpoint.”

“A living legend of cycling”: Matxin reveals Tadej Pogacar’s 2026 target as UAE Team Emirates set sights on fifth Tour de France

Tadej Pogacar and UAE Team Emirates are already looking ahead to 2026 — and the mission is clear. After a historic 2025 season in which the Slovenian superstar claimed his fourth Tour de France title,...

cyclinguptodate.com

Kinda expected really. Also, with that last sentence, it makes it more likely that the Tour-Vuelta will only be on the menu starting with 2028.

 

[Peyroteo94]

Kinda expected really. Also, with that last sentence, it makes it more likely that the Tour-Vuelta will only be on the menu starting with 2028.

I'm little bit sad but I respect his decision. It's all in for MSR and PR!

 

[Salvarani]

Yeah, some realized this a lot earlier.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

No Vuelta next year. Probably same schedule.

As speculation continues over his future race programme, Matxin also hinted that Pogacar is unlikely to ride the 2026 Vuelta a España. With next year’s World Championships course expected to suit him perfectly, combining both with the Tour is not part of the plan.
“It’s definitely an objective we’d like to target at some point — absolutely, one hundred per cent,” Matxin said. “But with the current calendar, if you want to do the Tour, Vuelta and Worlds, that means being away from home for four months and staying at peak form the entire time. Right now, that’s not the most feasible approach from a physiological standpoint.”

“A living legend of cycling”: Matxin reveals Tadej Pogacar’s 2026 target as UAE Team Emirates set sights on fifth Tour de France

Tadej Pogacar and UAE Team Emirates are already looking ahead to 2026 — and the mission is clear. After a historic 2025 season in which the Slovenian superstar claimed his fourth Tour de France title,...

cyclinguptodate.com

Not surprising. They think Pogacar can still win the Vuelta later in his career. Keeping the rainbow as long as possible (he likes it) plus spring monuments are prioritized over Vuelta right now.

 

[Peyroteo94]

Not surprising. They think Pogacar can still win the Vuelta later in his career. Keeping the rainbow as long as possible (he likes it) plus spring monuments are prioritized over Vuelta right now.

They are gambling a lot IMO but I respect his decision.

 

[Salvarani]

Not surprising. They think Pogacar can still win the Vuelta later in his career. Keeping the rainbow as long as possible (he likes it) plus spring monuments are prioritized over Vuelta right now.

It makes sense to go for another Worlds, when it is still a course that Pog could win.

And getting more tries at MSR + PR now makes sense, while still at his peak. Those are the hardest for him to win and the chaotic nature of those races. He needs to be at his very best to win.

Vuelta is three weeks. Few can beat Pog over three weeks, not to mention one day. He will still get multiple tries at the Vuelta in the future. And Vuelta is in no way the most important race for him to win. Some may be too invested here. He decides his targets.

Winning the monuments would mean more than the Vuelta right now. Ticking those off is a big goal. Then Vuelta will likely be something that can be motivating later. When it can be better planned into the schedule.

All in time. Just enjoy it. See what happens. Take nothing for granted.

 

[James M]

It makes perfect sense to prioritize the WC path for now, as that window is smaller than the Vuelta window for various reasons (such as route variations etc).

 

[fenns]

I would not completely rule out the Vuelta before 2028. May depend on what Jonas does - no Vingegaard makes it a much easier race for Pog - a lot may depend on how difficult a Tour he has.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Agreed. He will peak for WC as long as the route is not easy. Plus Roubaix is a challenge he wants to overcome. Vuelta is further down on priority list plus I think he doesnt like GT racing ( compared to one day races).

 

[Peyroteo94]

Obviously it's his decision but it's really more important to win 3 or 4 WC than winning 2 or 3 WC + Vuelta? IIRC, Pogacar said he doesn't see himself racing much longer after 2028 Olympics.

 

[Gargamel35]

Pogačar enjoys 1 day races A LOT more than 1 week or 3 week GT races. Tour is a must since it's the biggest race of the year so that is already one GT in a year. He already won Giro. He can win Vuelta with one leg now or both legs in next 5 years so there is enough time to win the last 3 week race in the calendar in the future.
One day races are monuments and WC. When you win a monument, you don't really care how many times you win it so you look at what's missing. And MS + PR are missing so he'll target those too. WC is the only one day race you DO care winning more than once if you can. You wear a WC jersey all year for a reason.

So MS, PR, Tour, WC are the main focus of 2026. The rest is a bonus and preparation. If he wins other races, great, but he'll see his season as a failure if he won't win all 4 main objectives (or at least 2/4).

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Obviously it's his decision but it's really more important to win 3 or 4 WC than winning 2 or 3 WC + Vuelta? IIRC, Pogacar said he doesn't see himself racing much longer after 2028 Olympics.

Roubaix is also a big goal, which is compatible with WC. Maybe they think cobbles plus Tour plus Vuelta is too much

 

[Salvarani]

Roubaix is also a big goal, which is compatible with WC. Maybe they think cobbles plus Tour plus Vuelta is too much

Like Matxin said.

He is already holding form from spring to end of Tour.

End of Tour, Vuelta to Worlds... it would be another three-four months without any break. It would be to spread yourself thin and risk burning out. You would risk a lot both physically and mentally, that you could pay for... before, during and after.

Targeting MSR, PR, Tour + Worlds is already badass and super hard.

 

[Peyroteo94]

Roubaix is also a big goal, which is compatible with WC. Maybe they think cobbles plus Tour plus Vuelta is too much

I can agree with this.

 

[Shortcut]

What Matxin said is pretty irrelevant. He was also saying in last week of TdF that Pogi is going to ride Vuelta.. Pogi this year was injured, sick at the end of TdF. He needed to be mentally at 100% for racing against Jonas again. This year i had a feeling at UAE and Dauphine that he wasn't really relaxed there and without those two races he would be much fresher. Jonas is already talking about Giro and Canada classics for next year so he will not be there for Vuelta. So Pogi can go to Vuelta without real competition. Jonas, Remco are not going and the next big competition would be his teammates(Almeida, Del Toro). They will also bring Vuelta to his house (Monako) and will try to have him red jersey from day 1. Betting everything on WC next year is really risky and i still don't get why are people so sure about him winning it. If there was doubt about Slovenian team this year, next year will be impossible to control, then without big Climb like in Zürich or even bigger climb in Kigali. WC 2027 is another story again.

 

[Salvarani]

What Matxin said is pretty irrelevant.

It was definitely relevant regarding the form and schedule-wise part. The toll it would take and how hard it would be to execute. Classics-Tour-Vuelta-Worlds. It is 8 months of super-hard racing and no time to take a smaller break to rest/recover a bit. Thats if crashes and whatnot dont alter things.

The rest of the post I dont care to comment on.

 

[Peyroteo94]

It was definitely relevant regarding the form and schedule-wise part. The toll it would take and how hard it would be to execute. Classics-Tour-Vuelta-Worlds. It is 8 months of super-hard racing and no time to take a smaller break to rest/recover a bit. Thats if crashes and whatnot dont alter things.

The rest of the post I dont care to comment on.

His problem is clearly racing a heavy spring schedule + Tour + Vuelta. Adding WCRR or not is irrelevant because he doesn't have a break between classics and the Tour and between Tour and the Vuelta.
It's clear now he will only race the Vuelta when PR or TdF are out of his schedule.

I would like to see him doing Ardennes+Giro+Vuelta+WC+GdL next year.

 

[Salvarani]

His problem is clearly racing a heavy spring schedule + Tour + Vuelta. Adding WCRR or not is irrelevant because he doesn't have a break between classics and the Tour and between Tour and the Vuelta.
It's clear now he will only race the Vuelta when PR or TdF are out of his schedule.

I would like to see him doing Ardennes+Giro+Vuelta+WC+GdL next year.

WCRR can be a big target depending on the route, classics or no classics... so not completely "irrevelant".

As I have said before.

He can race lighter spring and do Tour+Vuelta. More likely if he can win MSR + PR and Worlds not being on a good route.

Or later in his career... ride Giro + Vuelta combo. No classics (cobbles). No Tour.

He wont or shouldnt do that at all. Would be terrible to see him do that now.

What makes the aboslute most sense from what he 1) wants to do and 2) given where he is at in his career...

MSR + PR + Tour + Worlds makes without a doubt the most sense to target.

 

[Cycling111]

What Matxin said is pretty irrelevant. He was also saying in last week of TdF that Pogi is going to ride Vuelta.. Pogi this year was injured, sick at the end of TdF. He needed to be mentally at 100% for racing against Jonas again. This year i had a feeling at UAE and Dauphine that he wasn't really relaxed there and without those two races he would be much fresher. Jonas is already talking about Giro and Canada classics for next year so he will not be there for Vuelta. So Pogi can go to Vuelta without real competition. Jonas, Remco are not going and the next big competition would be his teammates(Almeida, Del Toro). They will also bring Vuelta to his house (Monako) and will try to have him red jersey from day 1. Betting everything on WC next year is really risky and i still don't get why are people so sure about him winning it. If there was doubt about Slovenian team this year, next year will be impossible to control, then without big Climb like in Zürich or even bigger climb in Kigali. WC 2027 is another story again.

Vingegaard said in January that his goals were the Tour and the World Championships. Don't be surprised if Vingegaard doesn't doesn't go to Canada next year.
What Vingegaard says about WC and the classics can also be considered irrelevant.

 

[Netserk]

Vingegaard said in January that his goals were the Tour and the World Championships.

Provide a source and quote. From Vingegaard or the team.

'I Want to Win the Tour de France Again:' Vingegaard Racing for Redemption with Tour-Vuelta Double

Vingegaard lays down some ambitious markers for 2025, with a return to the Tour and Vuelta. Nemesis Tadej Pogačar will be waiting.

velo.outsideonline.com

“My biggest goal will be of course to try to win the Tour for a third time,” he said. “And also I will be at the Vuelta. It’s one of the biggest races in the world and one that I really would love to win as well.”

 

[Peyroteo94]

WCRR can be a big target depending on the route, classics or no classics... so not completely "irrevelant".

As I have said before.

He can race lighter spring and do Tour+Vuelta. More likely if he can win MSR + PR and Worlds not being on a good route.

Or later in his career... ride Giro + Vuelta combo. No classics (cobbles). No Tour.

He wont or shouldnt do that at all. Would be terrible to see him do that now.

What makes the aboslute most sense from what he 1) wants to do and 2) given where he is at in his career...

MSR + PR + Tour + Worlds makes without a doubt the most sense to target.

I would like to see him racing this schedule:
SB
MSR
RVV
PR
LBL
TdS (5 days)
TdF

I know he invests a lot in training to be good in cobbled classics but I would like to see him doing this schedule and see if he feels fresh enough to be in the Vuelta. I still think he wouldn't be mentally prepared to ride 3 weeks in the Vuelta but I would like to see this.

 

[Salvarani]

I would like to see him racing this schedule:
SB
MSR
RVV
PR
LBL
TdS (5 days)
TdF

I know he invests a lot in training to be good in cobbled classics but I would like to see him doing this schedule and see if he feels fresh enough to be in the Vuelta. I still think he wouldn't be mentally prepared to ride 3 weeks in the Vuelta but I would like to see this.

He is physically spent as well from riding these races and always preparing inbetween for 6 months, having to be focused for so long. Every detail. It is hard to stay in form for so long. Like Maxtin said. March to end of Tour is a long time already. Mishaps and problems can derail things.

I think its likely he will do Dauphine again for the race days and it is more prestigious than Suisse. I can rather see Del Toro doing Suisse next season if he goes Tour.

He will do pretty much the same as this season, with the exception of UAE Tour (hopefully). Maybe something else to replace it or just spend more time preparing for the what he wants to win. MSR and PR.

 

[Shortcut]

He is physically spent as well from riding these races and always preparing inbetween for 6 months and having to be focused for so long. Every detail. It is hard to stay in form for so long. Like Maxtin said. March to end of Tour is a long time already.

I think its likely he will do Dauphine again for the race days and it is more prestigious than Suisse. I can rather see Del Toro doing Suisse next season if he goes Tour.

He will do pretty much the same as this season, with the exception of UAE Tour (hopefully). Maybe something else to replace it or just spend more time preparing for the what he wants to win. MSR and PR.

Just saying he will do Dauphine again is wrong. He hinted it already he wants just ticked it and that is it. He will rather ride tour of Slovenia if he needs preparation race. But tdSuisse looks easy choice for next year.

 

[fenns]

Probably the only real certs for next year are MSR, PR, Tour, WCRR, GdL

He'll need some prep for the WCRR - if he doesn't do the Vuelta then he'll need to do the Canada classics which will necessitate 3 weeks in the country.