CyclingUpToDate Podcast: "Where do you even go from here?" - What might Tadej Pogacar's new contract at UAE mean?
Cycling
Tadej Pogacar has extended his contract with UAE Team Emirates - XRG all the way into 2032. On the latest episode of the CyclingUpToDate Podcast, Rúben Silva and Gavin Quinn have analyzed the World Champion's renewal, as well as the team's dynamic with Tim Wellens whose been cast aside from the World Championships due to team duties.
The renewal of Pogacar, reportedly agreed on before the start of the Vuelta, has been confirmed this past week in an announcement that also confirmed the Slovenian would not race again this season. Gavin Quinn was not surprised with the news that the Slovenian will now only be back in action next year.
"We just couldn't imagine a scenario where he's back racing at the World Championships or even like a little bit later than that, so it seems like first of all the right decision has been made for rider for recovery for his mental fortitude of having to get back on the bike and train seriously again".
"After a big setback it's the it's the right thing for rider and it can be a good thing for cycling too. It changes the dynamics of like four or five like big races now for the rest of the year, like we've seen in the Vuelta. It offers like opportunities as well for like so many different riders".
The UAE rider looked set to win La Vuelta, and his withdrawal has led to a battle between Enric Mas, Felix Gall and Primoz Roglic for the overall win - whereas until stage 8, there appeared to be no battle for the red jersey.
"We have Pogacar for an extra two years if I'm not mistaken. I think his previous contract was until 2030 so we definitely do think what's different about this new contract," Silva questioned. With four years of contracts still remaining, four full seasons, you do wonder why he's already extending it once again".
"So certainly there's some different conditions in there. One thing that I particularly find interesting is that 2032 is the year of the Olympic Games. I don't actually even remember where it is (Brisbane, Australia, ed.) because it's so distant - we've got LA in 2028 and we've got another Olympic Games road race in another four years. Maybe that was the reason why he thought of 2032".
Both have agreed on the premise that the reason for the renewal is likely to have been based on non-racing details that do not reach the public eye. At the peak of his career, Silva argues that it will not be easy for Pogacar to maintain motivation after at this point having achieved almost everything that was possible to win.
"That's something that's for me personally is hard to grasp because you think of the current Pogacar and it's like: Where do you even go from here? Like what can you possibly still do for another six years that will actually keep you interested?"
Pogacar, at age 27, has already matched the Tour de France victory record, won the World Championships twice, won four out of the five monuments, and has achieved already 130 pro wins. Despite now facing his first major setback in what is an unmatched career in modern pro cycling, he still had four full years left of contract. Now, he has six more.
But Silva argues that this extension might not actually make a difference in Pogacar's longevity in the sport. "When it comes to tactics, when it comes to teammates and whatnot, Pogacar has a big saying. And maybe has the biggest saying in his team out of any rider in the peloton".
"If he wants to end his career in 2029, 2030, 2031, I don't think that there will actually be something in the way for him to do that. So yeah in my head this contract doesn't really change anything".
Tim Wellens out of World Championships so as to race for UAE
Pogacar's absence from the World Championships changes the Montréal circuit completely, as the race should become more tactical and less about the W/Kg ratio for the multiple ascents of Mont-Royal. The absence of Tim Wellens from the Belgian team has been confirmed, despite Remco Evenepoel and Wout Van Aert being amongst the top favourites, and despite the UAE rider's recent victory at the Tour of Britain.
"It does make you think that before Pogacar's injury that there might have been this maybe slight incentive like in the team management's eyes that maybe there's no real sense for him to go to the World Championships because if you're gonna help your rival beat Pogacar, well..."
Silva believes that UAE has a hold of their riders' schedule, and show no restraint in keeping them out of the worlds if it is not in their interest. "I question why Tim Williams wouldn't want to go to World Championships, whether you're competing whether you're helping someone or not," Quinn responded.
"He's gonna be racing a schedule around it. He's probably gonna be in Montreal (where he was the winner in 2015, ed.) before the World Championships. I would ride the World Championships, even even if it is in support of Tadej Pogacar's biggest rival in the race - but also in the Tour de France. Because it's not like they haven't raced before together with Belgium either".
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Wellens revealed in a recent interview after the Tour of Britain that Remco Evenepoel messaged him to try and convince Wellens to race the worlds, but that the former national champion has stuck to his word and will be racing for UAE at the same time, making it impossible to fulfill both schedules.
But Pogacar's absence is what would make Wellens, a classics specialist, a potential contender for the rainbow jersey. "Especially now that Pogacar is not there because the race is a lot more open all of a sudden. It's not Pogacar against maybe Seixas, Evenepoel, Del Toro who knows... All of a sudden you have 10-15 riders who can maybe win in balance could be one of them honestly," Silva argued.
Quinn believes the decision, in the long-term, might come back to bite Wellens when looking back in his career. "It doesn't sit right for me I guess. When I hang up my racing shoes at the end of a career I think I would take a little more value in World Championships performances, and I won't say 'thank God I helped UAE in their later season goals after already winning a Grand Tour and multiple stages in in Grand Tours this year already".
"So I'm not sure, and I'm not sure where the motivation is coming because UAE of course will want him to ride for them, there's no question about that from a team dynamic that it's good to have one of your riders solely focused on your program. We're not using to to World Tour one day races as preparation, so It's it's questionable".
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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