Pogacar spills the beans about tough training sessions: "That's why not many people want to ride with me"

Tadej Pogacar's cycling season ended four weeks ago. The UAE Team Emirates Slovenian has ample time to reflect on his bizarre year. On the Inside The Ride Podcast, the world champion elaborated on winning the rainbow jersey and what he had to do for it, but he also spoke about his training and the future of Slovenian cycling.

During his mile-long solo at the World Championships in Zurich, Pogi seemed unstoppable, but it was much more challenging than it looked. "I did worry two laps before the end. I reached the top of the last climb. When the car pulled beside me, I asked, How many more laps? Is it one or two more? I was hoping he would say I only had one lap to go. I was looking a little pale by now, but I knew I would have a good chance if I had a reasonable gap at the top of the final climb. But at the start, everyone thought, Nobody wants to do a Jan Christian." The young Swiss rider rode solo for a long time at the top of the U23 race but was caught at the last minute and ended up just outside the medals.

Having already come close to the world title in Glasgow in 2023, Pogacar may finally wear the rainbow jersey. The question quickly arose: will it be black or white pants? "I rode two races in the world champion's jersey. In Emilia, I wore black pants. In the rain, you don't want to wear white pants. In Lombardy, luckily, the weather was good, but I think only if I'm skinny does it look good. White makes you look a bit fatter," he added.

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In the Tour of Lombardy, Pogacar, in white racing pants, was the strongest by far.

Bling and Pogi, a top duo in training: "But in the race, I won't let him pass"

Pogacar resides in Monaco, and a large number of other riders do. Yet, the Slovenian training group is not very large due to the tough training sessions he completes. "That's why not many people want to ride with me. Or I don't want to ride with them." However, Michael Matthews is one rider who can often be seen at the world champion's side. The two get along well together. "Bling can appreciate how I train, and I like how he trains. Often, that's why we go together. For coffee laps and easy laps, there are often more people." Does the friendship make racing against the Australian different? "If I'm on my teammate's wheel in the last five kilometers, I won't let him pass," Pogacar is explicit.

In addition to cyclists, several racing drivers also live in tax havens. These include Spaniard Carlos Sainz. "It is becoming more and more popular to cycle in motor racing. I think they see an advantage. They have great reflexes, and you must be powerful to resist the g-forces. But the heart rate is also tremendously high, so it helps to cycle. Carlos Sainz started cycling this year, and he fell in love. That's why we ride together from time to time." Sainz on the bike: will Pogacar get into the F1 car soon? "I hope so, but maybe not to ride," he laughs.

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Pogacar and Matthews have now become regular training buddies.

Slovenian youth gets help from Pogacar: "Deliver future stars"

Slovenian cycling is in a golden period, but Pogacar doesn't want to be too dreamy about it. With his own training team, he wants to keep up the youth level. "Time is running out; there are still a few of us who almost dominate in cycling. But we all must work on the youth and deliver the future stars. In my old team and the Pogi Team, we now have 150 kids riding. When I was cycling, we didn't even have 1/3rd of that. It has grown tremendously, but work must be done to bring the youth to the next level."

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