Tadej Pogačar has rejoined the circus that we call professional cycling. The last month has consisted of “quiet time at home, following Urška’s races and a bit of good training,” he explains to a room of media, just two days before he will start the one-day race, GP Quebec, in Canada. The UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider’s demeanour gives little away – he is reserved, talking in a hushed tone and is not giving any signs that he is particularly excited to be back at a bike race.
On his way to winning the Tour de France by four-and-a-half minutes just over a month ago, Pogačar’s once boundless motivation seemed to slowly but surely fade away. After stage 19 to La Plagne he exasperatedly told television cameras: "I'm at a point where I wonder why I'm still here. It's been three very long weeks. You're counting down the kilometres to Paris. I can't wait until it's over so I can have some fun things in my life again.”
Now five weeks on and the fun has been had – it doesn’t last long when you’re the best cyclist in the world. While he was successfully securing his fourth yellow jersey, Pogačar began to seem bored of his own perfection, he was ticking off days with indifference, forgoing stage wins because his dominance meant there was simply no need to punish his rivals anymore. Has the time back in Monaco since then, alongside Urška and away from the spotlight, been enough for the world champion to find excitement in his vocation again?
“If you race your bike for three weeks at the highest level, of course you’re going to be tired. It is normal. I don’t know why it is such a big deal this year that I said I was tired. It is completely normal. Everyone is tired. You are tired after a one-day race, imagine racing for 21 days,” Pogačar stated bluntly when asked about his experience at the Tour.
“I think everybody needs to rest their mind as well, especially in sport. All the athletes are competing at their best and highest level. It is difficult and there is a lot of pressure to switch off as well. For me after the Tour I had that period and it was enough time.”
Perhaps what could be needed to ignite Pogačar’s spark again is a new challenge. Winning so consistently, with the stylish ease and effortless manner the 26-year-old has, could understandably get repetitive. GP Quebec, at least, is a race he’s never taken victory in before – he suffered a rare defeat last season when he eventually finished in seventh place.
“We’ll have to see how my legs are turning. Montreal suits me better as Quebec is more punchy racing but if you have a good day then it can also suit you,” he commented regarding his chances in Canada on Friday. “I just come here and hope for the best, it isn’t the end of the world if I lose a race, it is normal. This is good training for Sunday and for the World Champs, so I go to Quebec trying to do my best. I have strong teammates as well with good energy.”
Once the double-header of Canadian WorldTour events are out of the way, defending his rainbow jersey is next on Pogačar’s to-do list. The road race’s punchy course in Rwanda is perfectly suited to the Slovenian rider’s strengths, so this year he has set himself the challenge of winning rainbows in the individual time trial too. While the UAE rider is skilled in the discipline – is there anything Tadej Pogačar can’t do on two wheels, after all – he isn’t a specialist like last year’s winner Remco Evenepoel, for example. When he is asked about his chances against the Belgian rider, it is the first time throughout his press conference that Pogačar offers any semblance fighting talk.
“I still have some motivation for the six races I have left and the World Championships has been a big goal since the start of the year, so I hope I can be prepared in almost two weeks' time,” he said. “I did quite a few training sessions on the time trial bike, it was more than usual, and we will see how it will go in the World Champs in the TT. I always liked the discipline but you need to have a great day. It is the main goal of this part of the season and I hope I can hold on to my peak until Lombardia too. It will take dedication. It would be nice, but you never know how the shape will turn around and you have to go with the feeling, with the flow and do your best of course.”
Despite not having the same palmarès against the clock when compared to riders like Evenepoel, Pogačar is not intimidated by the prospect of going up against the Quick-Step rider. In fact, he relishes it: “My goal is to challenge Remco and other big time trialists. It is quite a difficult parcour, which could suit me on a good day but it could also blow back and I could do a bad result. I will go there with the motivation to be the best on that day and try to do something, because why not?”
Why not, indeed. When you’re Tadej Pogačar, you can target a rainbow jersey in a new discipline because, why not? When you have won as much as he has, and maintained dominance in a sport so notoriously unpredictable, why not try and spread your excellence across the board? Whether he likes it or not, Pogačar is back in the peloton, and he’s expected to perform. This is the burden that a rider of his stature carries – here’s hoping he can find the fun in that once more.
