"Do a completely different calendar" - Pogacar proposes major cycling season overhaul as Tour de France scorches in heatwave
CyclingMonday, 13 July 2026 at 09:33
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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- That was the Mou that hides the forest of Mous.Mistermaumau13-07-2026
- I was born in Cleveland and lived there till my 19th birthday, then my parents moved back to Croatia. Now I,ve been living here for 26 years, and since the second Trump term, I started to hate America. I mean, really hate the stupid Maga Trump supporters, they make me puke. Anything else you would like to know?mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales13-07-2026
- Didn’t you once tell us about being in Ohio (Cleveland? Cinci? I forget) for many years and that is why you understood America so well?RidesHills13-07-2026
- 'Wins by minutes, not seconds' - that's almost exactly what Vingegaard said before the final week in the 2023 Tour (the Tour will be won by minutes, not seconds), when he turned his lead of a few seconds over Pogacar into an advantage of several minutes in just two days. That's how confident of his ability he was then, when he could more than match Pogacar. People talk more about Pog because he wins different types of races too.Hills3313-07-2026
- I live in Croatia, and I have relatives in Slovenia. I never lived in the West. I'm a Balkan "boy." You Westerners have no soul, no feeling for life, no real happiness, you're like robots... except the Italians and Spaniards, they know how to live. We in the Balkans enjoy life, it's not all about the money. Capish?mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales13-07-2026
- I had a long answer with evidence of what has changed for Pogačar in the past 5 years, but decided to delete all that. A question: would any evidence answer your questions or will you just raise them, without evidence or answers, no matter what people say? I ask honestly. An answer would help all of us know how or whether to respond to you. Thank you.RidesHills13-07-2026
- Well, Mühlberger's omission was a big mistake
Rafionain-Glas13-07-2026 - a world.class athlete being this much better than he was just 5 years ago is suspicious.. The fact that he is percentage points better than anyone else in a sport that is not based on skill but ability is curious. Hi bike isn't better, they all train amazingly hard, yet he wins by minutes, not seconds. People are going to talk.Spike031113-07-2026
- Oh shut up you twat. No-one wants to hear your voice.Rafionain-Glas13-07-2026
- Major pain, why weren't they looking to sprint with Pogačar?Rafionain-Glas13-07-2026
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