"Comparing myself with him made it more difficult" - Felix Gall admits Tadej Pogacar's early success was a problem for him
CyclingWednesday, 09 September 2026 at 10:57
At the start of the ongoing Vuelta a España, Felix Gall was seen as Tadej Pogacar's biggest rival. The Austrian rider admits that not having progressed as quickly as some of his peers, his early career was marked by a doubt he had in himself.
At the Vuelta, Pogacar was winning left and right before withdrawing from the race on stage 8 due to a crash. That provided Gall with the opportunity to try and take his first Grand Tour victory, in a battle currently also spearheaded by Enric Mas and Primoz Roglic.
But with Pogacar there is a bigger connection since their youth years. Both raced in the same field as juniors, with Pogacar then turning pro in 2019 whilst Gall followed suit in the following year. But his first seasons as DSM and then the Decathlon team did not have many flashy results
“He is the best cyclist in history. Comparing myself with him made it more difficult, also to understand why I wasn’t progressing so quickly," Gall admitted in an interview with Marca.
Pogacar's success stressed Gall
“The guys I raced with as a junior, Pogacar, Hirschi, were winning in the World Tour and I couldn’t progress in the way I wanted. That stressed me a lot," he admitted.
It was at the 2023 Tour de Suisse that Gall had his breakthrough, winning the stage to Leukerbad with a storming climbing performance. A month later he would win the queen stage of the Tour de France at Courchevel, racing into a place at the Top10 at the end as well.
“Everyone has their own speed and their own story. For me it was very important to stop comparing myself with others and compare myself with my version of yesterday or a year ago.”
Felix Gall's breakthrough win at the 2023 Tour de Suisse
La Vuelta podium is the goal
Ever since, the 28-year old has been on a plateau, until 2026 where he has seemingly evolved further as a climber. At the Giro d'Italia, he finished second to Jonas Vingegaard on five separate stages and the overall classification altogether, signaling an ability to climb that was above that of the rest of his competition.
“I think there are not many rivals better than me when the road goes uphill. But in the time trial I still have time to lose," he does not hide. At the previously mentioned Tour de Suisse, he fell from second to eighth in the final time trial.
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At this year's Giro, the long flat time trial also proved very costly for the Austrian who lost contact with Vingegaard on that day. With a 32-kilometer long flat time trial still remaining in the final week of the Vuelta, Gall knows that time loss is assured and confirms that his goal is not necessarily victory.
“If I can finish on the podium in this Vuelta, I will be very happy," he told the Spanish news outlet. Stages 19 and 20 do still provide the opportunity to take back time or even threaten the red jersey.
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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- maybe if he wins every race left on the calendar offering UCI pointswrsty09-09-2026
- agreed. they have 2 cards depending on what the opposition does and who is strong that daymij09-09-2026
- First see how Wout does in Granada. It is a very similar course
Rafionain-Glas09-09-2026 - WVA to follow MVDP, Remco to follow Del Toro/Sexias. Simple. otherwise attack at different pointsabstractengineer09-09-2026
- All riders think they can become World Champion now Pogacar is not there. That could be fun. 😁
DareDevil09-09-2026 - Is Remco theoretically able to jump over Pogacar? By winning the World Championships, Lombardia, maybe something extra?DareDevil09-09-2026
- On paper there are 2 captains, but Evenepoel is the only real captain.DareDevil09-09-2026
- God, I’d love to see this. I can genuinely see him as the next Sagan, he has the humour for it.anonymouscyclist08-09-2026
- Time moves on. I feel no sorrow or dejection towards Ineos’ lack of dominance, like its old Sky days. Cycling is at its best when it's unpredictable, chaotic, and tense. Seeing generational talents clash across different jerseys, backgrounds, and nationalities is far more thrilling than watching a single train control a race. Back then it was Britain; now it’s Slovenia, Denmark, and beyond. Its jeopardy that makes us watch.anonymouscyclist08-09-2026
- Silly prediction I’ve said before and will say again: after he wins all the races and sets the records he wants to set, he bulks up and becomes a sprinter.RidesHills08-09-2026
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