"Do a completely different calendar" - Pogacar proposes major cycling season overhaul as Tour de France scorches in heatwave
Cycling
If Tadej Pogacar had the power to control the cycling calender, he claims he would completely overhaul it and change the face of the sport. The UAE Team Emirates - XRG rider is in the midst of the Tour de France and is part of a peloton feeling the heat in a scorching summer.
With La Grand Boucle interrupted by searing heat, organisers ASO have implemented a number of measures to help the peloton, including opening feeding zones for longer and loosening the rules of when teams are allowed to give riders musette bags, which often contain several bottles and gels.
Sunday's stage 9 was shortened by 30 kilometers due to a red alert for heat in the region, leading to some riders calling for stages to start earlier to avoid the midday sun.
Stages start in the early afternoon in the Tour de France, often the hottest time of the day. However, by the time riders reach the finish line, the temperatures are beginning to decline and riders are offered a slight respite from the heat.
For Pogacar, if he had the power of the UCI to change the face of cycling, he wouldn't be pinning a number and racing at all in the peak summer months, suggesting a radical change to how the season is scheduled.
Pogacar suggests radical cycling calendar overhaul
“In my opinion, it’s a big topic to discuss,” Pogacar said after the stage.
“If I could have the power to change it all, I would change all the calendar. I would not race in July and August in the hot places and do a completely different calendar, but that’s something that you need to think through very well. It’s not something I can do, and maybe the next step will be to start earlier the stages.”
When it comes to a more realistic change to beat the heat, Pogacar doesn't think that starting earlier in the morning would be a positive move - pointing to the simple fact that stages will then be finishing during the hottest part of the day.
Pogacar said: “Yesterday there was one proposal that we could start at 10, but for me, starting at 10 it doesn’t change anything because then you finish with the big heat.”
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Would starting earlier help riders?
“For example, today when we arrived at the finish, it was way cooler than at the start. So then you need to start the stage at eight or nine or even earlier. That’s also a little bit s**t, but I think the body can adapt to do that as well, that you wake up at five o’clock in the morning and do the stage at eight."
But for now, Pogacar and his UAE team have to manage the heat, and the Slovenian has seemingly done a good job - building a seismic 2:42 lead over Jonas Vingegaard in the yellow jersey fight.
He added: “But I think I’ve said enough. In our team, we’ve managed pretty well with this heat. We did a super good job to cool down our systems and I’m pretty satisfied with how it went.”
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- Oy, don't insult girlsHills3312-11-2026
- lol yeah. this is a good onemij12-11-2026
- Mads is the best: I didn’t even know there were rules in cyclocross. I just thought it was a matter of: ‘Go, three, two, one, ride.’ It’s like a street fight, a kind of underground brawl. It’s the MMA of cycling he gives the best quotes.mij12-11-2026
- he's too young. he's 23, so not really a fair call yet.mij12-11-2026
- and don't forget Pidcock's departure. maybe he will never win a GT, but he knows how to light up a race.mij12-11-2026
- Bingo...I was going to say a 12 year obsessed Pogi fan girlie ! Like she's chasing a teen boy band! All glossy eyed about tadej!frieders312-11-2026
- That stint in the Pink was so good. If memory serves he struggled with the champagne cuz he'd never been on the podium before. I feel like it gave him some self-belief, and yeah - then the move to Visma to be one of their lieutenants has really brought him to the best version of himself.wrsty12-11-2026
- So, you never really compared Paul Seixas with his main rival Isaac Del Toro why jump to Pogačar? They've (Paul & Isaac) raced together here and there, and they've both shared in wins and losses, I think they should be compared to each other, even with Vingegaard and Remco first before even touching Pogačar. From your writing it's like he's better than Vingegaard, Remco and Del Toro already that his main target is now Pogačar 🤔Sadick11-11-2026
- gee i hope its a minor injury. a great rider and ambassador for the sport. get well soon Lucinda.
Davide11-11-2026 - some of lidl-treks retention and recruiting has been puzzling in the mens and womens teams.Davide11-11-2026
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