“As soon as Pogi was out of sight, our mechanics pounced on his bike” - Patrick Lefevere reveals secret inspection of Tadej Pogacar’s bike
CyclingSunday, 30 August 2026 at 15:45
Patrick Lefevere has revealed how four Soudal – Quick-Step mechanics secretly weighed, measured and analysed Tadej Pogacar’s bike after the Slovenian innocently left it in their care.
Pogacar had asked whether his Colnago could be stored inside the team’s bike room while he spent time with his partner, Urska Zigart. He expected the rival mechanics to keep it safe until he returned. They instead used his absence to begin a detailed examination.
Lefevere’s revelation comes as Pogacar dominates discussion around the 2026 Vuelta a Espana following the Stage 8 crash that ended his commanding pursuit of the red jersey. UAE Team Emirates – XRG remains uncertain whether the five-time Tour de France winner struck a stone or fallen GoPro, while Pogacar begins recovering from a concussion, displaced collarbone fracture and stable C7 vertebra fracture.
The inspection recounted by Lefevere took place two years ago at a winter hotel used by Quick-Step. Pogacar had travelled there by bike to visit Zigart, who rides for the Belgian team, before the couple went to the sauna.
Quick-Step mechanics seize their opportunity
“He had ridden his bike to our hotel so that he could go to the sauna with Urska,” Lefevere recalled in his weekly column for Het Nieuwsblad. “He asked our mechanics whether he could leave it in our bike room for a while.”
The request placed the equipment and setup used by cycling’s leading rider inside the workspace of a team accustomed to competing against him throughout the WorldTour calendar. “As soon as Pogi was out of sight, our mechanics pounced on his bike,” Lefevere revealed.
Four mechanics gathered around the Colnago and made full use of the opportunity. “They weighed, measured and analysed everything,” Lefevere said. “It had never occurred to Pogacar for a second that he might be giving away possible ‘trade secrets’, but naturally, no mechanic with any professional pride is going to leave the Tour winner’s bike sitting untouched in the corner.”
Lefevere finished the story with a joke about one thing they did not discover: “It turned out that Pogacar’s bike didn’t contain a motor.”
Lefevere was the founder and long-time boss of Soudal - Quick-Step before retirement
Pogacar away from the cameras
The story also offered Lefevere a glimpse of Pogacar far removed from the ruthlessly ambitious competitor who won three of the opening seven stages at the Vuelta and established a 3:50 advantage before crashing out.
Despite occasionally encountering Pogacar around Quick-Step’s winter hotel, Lefevere does not claim to know him personally. “I have never really spoken to Pogacar in my life,” he admitted. “I can’t say that I know him. But I have seen him a few times away from the cameras. That is when you also see the straightforward guy who could just as easily be your neighbour.”
Without the crowds and television crews that surround him during races, Pogacar could apparently pass through the hotel almost unnoticed. “You will see a couple sitting in the lobby, and anyone who isn’t into cycling would never suspect that the guy in the hoodie is the best cyclist in the world,” Lefevere said.
That was the Pogacar who handed his Colnago to rival mechanics without apparently considering what they might do once he had walked away.
“I cannot find Pogacar unlikeable”
Lefevere believes cycling has not seen anyone with Pogacar’s appetite for victory since Eddy Merckx. The Slovenian rarely offers gifts to opponents during races, but his dominance has not made the former Quick-Step boss resent him.
“Try as I might, even after 130 victories, I cannot find Pogacar unlikeable,” Lefevere said. “You could say that he manages his public relations well, but it only works because, in my opinion, it isn’t PR.”
The account has now made the mechanics’ curiosity public two years after Pogacar left them alone with one of the most closely scrutinised bikes in professional cycling.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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