Pogacar discusses his rival Vingegaard, plans for 2025 and his attacking drive

On Saturday, Tadej Pogacar attended the Esports World Championship in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. While there, he did an interview with Tuttobiciweb, during which he spoke, among other things, about his rivalry with Jonas Vingegaard. Pogacar also provided more clarity on his schedule for 2025 and explained his preference for breaking races open early on.

On Tuesday, October 29, the Tour organization ASO will unveil the route for the 2025 edition. You’d expect the titleholder and three-time winner to be present at that event, but nothing could be further from the truth. "Of course, the Tour de France will be a goal for me again next year, but I certainly have more goals," Pogacar shared. "There’s also Milan-Sanremo and a few other classics. I can’t wait to see the Tour route, but I won’t be able to be in Paris for that. I will be following everything closely, though — I can’t wait," the three-time winner said enthusiastically.

Over the last four editions of the Tour, Pogacar has primarily battled Jonas Vingegaard for the overall win. Their rivalry has captured the public’s imagination, and the two Tour winners will likely face off in many more duels in the coming years. Pogacar speaks about his main opponent with great respect. "The rivalry with Jonas exists, but there’s also a lot of mutual respect. We’ve been competing against each other in the Tour de France for four years. He makes it incredibly difficult for me and is a fantastic opponent. Next year, he’ll be that again. He will certainly be one of the riders to keep an eye on," Pogacar praises the Dane racing for Visma | Lease a Bike.

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Pogacar: "But I can’t do them all"

This season, Pogacar strung together major victories as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Of course, it isn’t, and Pogacar is well aware of that. "This year was extraordinary. I could never have imagined that I would do even better than in previous years. If I keep going like this, I think I might be able to leave some kind of legacy. But at the moment, that’s not my focus. I just want to enjoy racing and have fun on the bike. Then I’ll see what the future brings. Right now, I’m trying to live in the moment."

As Pogacar said, the Tour de France will be a big goal again, but so will Milan-Sanremo. The Italian Monument is one of the major races the Slovenian has yet to win. This year, he came close with a third-place finish. Paris-Roubaix is also missing from his packed resume, though Pogacar didn’t mention that race. "I want to ride a few classics in Flanders, then the Tour, and the World Championships again. I also want to compete in a few Monuments, including Sanremo, of course. I love all the WorldTour races and other lower-level races, but I can’t do them all," Pogacar seems eager to line up at the start of all the big races.

Why does Pogacar love early attacks so much?

Pogacar also doesn’t shy away from a long solo. In fact, at the Cycling World Championships in Zurich, he pulled off a 100-kilometer solo attack. Why does he often choose to attack so early? "Sometimes I choose it because the race situation demands it. It can be a smart tactic. You can catch your opponents by surprise. If I feel good, I’ll attack from far out. I know it doesn’t always work out, but I also know I can do some damage to their legs. So even if the attack fails, the race remains interesting until the end." Recently, Pogacar signed a new mega-contract binding him to UAE Team Emirates until 2030.