Alberto Contador, at his time, emerged as a brilliant new stage-racer which was among the best in climbing and time-trialing, which turned him into a multiple Grand Tour winner. Tadej Pogacar emerges as a talent that sees similar characteristics in current cycling, and Contador has shared his views on the Slovenian.
“Do I think Pogacar is unstoppable this season? Well, if we go by what we have seen so far then we could say he looks unstoppable," Contador said in an interview with Eurosport. “But I think that there is a lot of the season left. I think he is going for the Classics this year… and we will need to see how he manages his efforts. He is putting a lot of energy into his attacks and this could end up taking its toll."
Contador is conservative when seeing Pogacar's aggressive racing stance. This has brought him great success early in the year as he won the Clásica Jaén Paraiso Interior, three stages and overall classification at both Vuelta a Andalucia and Paris-Nice. However a rider of his talent eyes bigger goals. The Tour de France specifically this year is one of them, and he wonders if Pogacar is digging too deep.
Asked if he should be more conservative in his racing, Contador responds: “I wouldn’t like it because I think one of the things that allows us cycling fans to enjoy the sport is enjoy the type of show that Pogacar can put on. It’s incredible how he can go for it from a great distance from the finish line, or in the yellow jersey or just for some bonus seconds to keep gaining time. I think that is gold and I wouldn’t like to see him race in a smarter way. A separate thing is what him and his team decide with regards to winning the Tour de France again.”
“The Tour is by no means an easy task. There are a lot of factors that come into play," the Spaniard continues. "Hitting peak form, preparation, the recovery over three weeks, how his team work, how Jumbo work – his main rival. I think there are a lot of variables. It’s true, for now he looks unbeatable and Pogacar is capable of almost anything but I do think that there will be some races that will be harder for him than others.”
In terrain that is not as favourable, Pogacar rode to fourth at Milano-Sanremo. He's leading UAE Team Emirates at the E3 Saxo Classic this Friday, as he gears up towards the Tour des Flandres where he was fourth last year. It's a terrain where other riders are best suited and willing to take more risks as they do not fight for the Grand Tours later in the year, however the Slovenian has managed to slot himself right up there with the very best quickly.
“There is almost a burning eagerness for the race to start. Wanting to give everything your body has got and trying to gain differences on any stage whether it’s a mountain stage or a time trial… because there is no other thought in your mind apart from winning the Tour de France again," Contador shares, being one of the few riders who understands Pogacar's stiaution.
"I think that right now this is what is going through Tadej Pogacar’s head. I am sure the thought has fuelled him during the pre-season and before the first race of the season. And I think that at the Tour de France he will have a real hunger to get back onto the highest point of the podium in Paris," he concluded.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- People see what they want to. I am actually the opposite of your accusation, probably more of a rebel than most of you who don’t get the big picture. The difference is, I don’t go moaning publicly about the consequences of my transgressions, I understand the need for rules and I take my OWN responsibility when deciding to ignore or break them or doing so involuntarily. I will also not hesitate to state my case or argue vehemently when relevant, sometimes it works, sometimes it makes things worse but that’s the price to pay for principles and having character.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- That may be but that was unknown to others and nothing says that’s the whole truth. Again, don’t try to misinterpret, it is a call and technically it is correct. Besides, even if there is a valid reason, that does not disqualify the ruling or punishment as far as the rules have been developed. I don’t think they’re as far as in football where for handball there is a distinction (in some ways and specific cases) between intentional or not. And football can be just as harsh and people live with it, eg the offside rule, also judged to within tiny fractions but often wrong or ignored. It’s the nature of every collective organisation and sometimes I wonder if our rebellion against it isn’t seated in the feelings we carry from the injustices we’ve felt personally, like being flashed driving 1km/h too fast when we are explained limits are just a security measure but we are absolutely certain not to have endangered anyone with our transgression. The problem is, nobody has better solutions and no 2 people have the same interpretation of where a limit should be.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Because for you deviated implies the other rider MUST have been made to fall and fail to finish ??? I don’t know if you ride a bike but next time someone carves you up or drives dangerously close, just hold back from those feelings of changing something, reporting or filming or even complaining. Everyone will just say, hey you’re still here undamaged, doesn’t seem like anyone did anything.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- And we, what are we doing?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- And yet, it attracts people, even you. What’s more, it attracts the rival fanboys to fill cyberspace with endless pointless my hero is better than your hero blabla that’s all been heard before and only helps sell the site as an advertising platform. You know what the solution is but most can’t resist. No different than women who follow and discuss celebs through gossip magazines.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- he is doing 460 watts for 35 min to achieve 7 w/kg with VO2 at 96 , just unreal numbers.abstractengineer08-11-2026
- Just do it, and put up with the consequencesJumpyjohn08-11-2026
- "was a headliner at the Tour de France" Nobody cared about Piddie. Only rivals that were there for Pogi, Jonas, Remco, Sexias, Lipo, Del Toro and they were all expected to lose. Piddie was not even in any conversation.abstractengineer08-11-2026
- exactly, he had an amazing season, but with these overstatements they don‘t do him good.Ketterechts08-11-2026
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