“It's quite a relief to finally win it. It's been many years of training around here and I will miss it."
It’s easy to read between Tadej Pogačar’s lines after he finally conquered Milan-Sanremo in March: He is methodically ticking off all of the sport’s major races. The world champion quipped to Cycling News: “If I come back to Sanremo it will only be to eat focaccia.”
Focaccia, Monuments, Grand Tours, World Championships and the occasional stage race. In recent years Pogačar has become increasingly picky about what he has on his plate. The Slovenian and UAE Team Emirates-XRG are on a quest to win all there is on cycling’s buffet. Pogačar has perhaps already become the greatest of them all, ahead of Eddy Merckx, The Cannibal, who has held that tag for 50 years.
Pogačar may be The New Cannibal, but he is fussier than Merckx was. In his heyday, Merckx would clock up between 20 and 30 race days at this point in the season. Cycling and cannibalism is different in the 2020s. So far this year, Pogačar has five races under his belt – four wins and one second place. That’s three Monuments titles (Sanremo, Tour of Flanders and Liège-Bastogne-Liège) and the win at Strade Bianche, alongside the runner-up spot behind Wout van Aert at Paris-Roubaix. So, he doesn’t dine out often, but when he indulges, he doesn’t hold back. Of cycling’s biggest prizes within his reach – Monuments, Grand Tours, Olympics and the ‘big seven’ week-long stage races – only the Vuelta a España, Paris-Roubaix, an Olympic title, Itzulia Basque Country, Tour de Suisse and Tour de Romandie remain untouched.
Read more: Paris-Roubaix: Tadej Pogačar's new Achilles heel
On Tuesday, Pogačar makes his debut at the latter race. Traditionally, Romandie was an important staging post en route to the Tour de France. For three years on the bounce (2011, 2012 and 2013) the winner in Switzerland went on to win the Tour (Cadel Evans, Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome). But Froome’s triumph in 2013 was the last time that happened.
For over a decade, its significance as a preparatory race for the Tour has diminished and its proximity to the Giro d’Italia has left Romandie out in the cold. Yes, it has had some notable winners in recent years, like João Almeida (2025), Primož Roglič (2018 and 2019), Geraint Thomas (2021), but it hasn’t featured the depth of talent that Volta a Catalunya, Itzulia, Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico have attracted.
Engagement brings sponsors. Sponsors bring money. Money means survival. And engagement doesn’t get any better than when the biggest rider in the sport takes to the start line. This week, more of the cycling world’s attention will be paid to western Switzerland than for quite some time. But it’s not a long term fix for a race that celebrates its 80th anniversary next year. Pogačar will retire one day – perhaps at a younger age than cyclists have historically done so – but before he does, he wants to win all the biggest races. Romandie is up this week and then another debut at the Tour de Suisse in June, his final dance before he attempts to equal Merckx et al’s record of five Tour wins.
Is it the case that week-long stage races in April/May no longer serve an athletic purpose to the biggest stars? In recent years, it’s been documented that riders ‘de-train’ during easier stages. The performance science suggests they are better off staying at home where they can push harder, eat more consistently, avoid travelling and potential illness bugs.
Pogačar has seemingly changed the sport forever; he may be gone in the next five years, but his like might be seen again. So far in his short career, 19-year-old Paul Seixas has looked every bit like a future cannibal. This was apparent on Sunday’s Liège-Bastogne-Liège where the Frenchman followed Pogačar on the Côte de la Redoute, announcing himself as a genuine rival to the world champion on roads that tilt skywards.
The general consensus is that where Pogačar goes, Seixas will follow. Cycling is unlikely to go back to the days when Grand Tour riders hibernated through the winter, didn’t touch a one-day Classic and used each stage race to build their form ahead of their summer Grand Tour target. So, how can a race like Romandie compete for attention? Could it move its position on the calendar? Geography wouldn’t allow an Alpine race much earlier in the year (perhaps climate change will alter that?) and an already-packed WorldTour suggests it’s likely to stay in its April/May slot.
We are here now and Romandie starts on Tuesday. Pogačar will be stomping his way up any Swiss hill he comes across. As his presence is becoming ever rarefied, Romandie and the Tour de Suisse will do their best to savour it. He might not be back.
