"Even his muscles are in a class of his own" - Tadej Pogacar an unique cyclist even according to UAE Team Emirates masseur
CyclingSaturday, 27 April 2024 at 09:44
Tadej Pogacar is an unique cyclist, and within UAE Team Emirates they say they can even tell it through his muscles. In a recent interview, one of the team's soigneurs shared some interesting facts about the Slovenian.
“He’s changed a bit since he came on the team, but only in the way every 20-year-old changes as the years go by. People grow up,” Joseba Elguezabal, soigneur and masseur opened up with Cyclingnews. “Essentially, he’s the same guy he ever was – the same person who likes his jokes, who likes his food and loves riding his bikes, who is really friendly and who has a smile for everybody. He’s number one on the bike and off it, too."
Backing up the words of Joxean Matxin, Elguezabal agrees that within the team there is a lot of focus on providing the same support and guidance for all riders and not just a few, which in overall helps the team's overall performance grow and be consistent throughout the year and different races.
“Equally, I don’t see any difference between the way he gets treated and the way the rest of the riders do. In the training camp, for example, when we’re all in the same hotel, nobody gets a better or worse deal. The thing is, we’re all rowing in the same direction, and from rider number 1 to rider number 30 at UAE Team Emirates, they’re all treated well.” However the masseur tells that even massaging Pogacar, he understands the difference against other regular pro riders.
“The muscle groups of a climber, a sprinter, a Classics rider or a stage racer all differ from each other in subtle ways. But Tadej is so exceptional that when it comes to a massage even his muscles are in a class of his own," he jokes. “It’s not just me that says that. All the soigneurs on the UAE team give massages to all the different riders when we’re at training camp, and they’ve all noticed the same thing about Tadej."
“I was giving him a massage after Vallter in the Volta a Catalunya, a stage where he’d attacked in the rain and gone solo to win, and in barely a minute he was back to normal. It was just staggering," he shares.
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- Stage win onlyabstractengineer07-05-2025
- Maybe she was pushed, she seemed too out of control for fellabstractengineer07-05-2025
- He wins the Vuelta because the best don't show up. With how he rides, he's better for the TdF but not good enough for who showsVeganpotter07-05-2025
- True, but unless Tadej or Jonas fall off their bike or get sick, no one is going to beat them. The 2014 Tour was decided by the Shark of Messina long before Contador or Froome were injured. I miss Nibali.awp07-05-2025
- Everyone thought Froome or Contador had the 2014 Tour locked up, and look what happened. Anything can occur in a race.itsent07-05-2025
- The handbags are already out aren't they? Let's see who pulls for who.Renz07-05-2025
- "I think they forgot last year, and when Jonas was injured," and I think you forgot 2023 L-B-L, when Tadej was injured and had to improvise a training without bike. Tadej only could riding a "normal" bike again only 2 weeks before the Tour. That TT he couldn't knowing well at all.
maria2024202407-05-2025 - It's unfortunate a rider of his caliber hasn't won the Tour de France and I can't fault him for trying, in fact, I respect it. But he never will win the Tour as long as Tadej and Jonas are in the peloton, and we might as well add Remco to that list as he is the youngest and seems to be coming up quickly behind Tadej and Jonas. I hope Primoz can capture another Giro and maybe another Vuelta before he calls it a day.awp07-05-2025
- "He breaks the conventions we once held", yeah, Tadej es disruptive, unique. Perhaps because he doesn't come from a family/country with tradition in cycling, so the "laws" of cycling were unknown to him and he was just looking/seeking to have fun. Traditions are beautiful but sometimes can be limiting.maria2024202407-05-2025
- I'd win so much money off Blythe on this one!bobo07-05-2025
Lol guys!
Tadej looks as athletic as a lot of skinny, couch potato gamers. Pretty crazy how normal he looks😂
Lol
I wouldn’t actually call that normal, and nor does the medical world but it is extremely advantageous in cycling uphill.
More impressive is how he can eat enough :-)
What always impresses me most with these body types is how well they can keep up on the flat, downhill and in TT, only strong wind seems to help slow then down.
If I were a cycling talent scout, I’d look for encouraging anorexics to take up cycling as therapy.
UAE don't need a super-dr.. 😁 just Pogacar's super muscles!
Agreed
Okay... This is just opinion, right?
IMO it could be raised to the level of an observation. What does amaze me about Pogacar is that, like Merckx, he can sprint, time trial and climb. I used to marvel at Merckx's long looking leg muscles, huge chest, etc.
Every once in a while we can have more than a generational rider, we could have a multi-generational rider like Merckx and maybe Pogacar. I still enjoy other riders, like MVDP, and their style of riding. One of the beauties of cycling is how different cyclists succeed differently.
Thank you :-)
Merckx has unusually long thigh bones for a man giving extra leverage, is Tadej the same?
Huge chest might be in part due to leg/back proportion. Never checked if there are stats but obviously cyclists gain from having as little upper body as possible without compromising lung and heart.
Inversely, it can also be noted how exceptional Merckx was at climbing for someone of his stature, practically the same as MVDP.