"Even if he beats you, you have to make it hard for him" - Miguel Indurain offers advice to Tadej Pogacar's Tour de France rivals

Few names in cycling command the reverence reserved for Miguel Indurain. The five-time Tour de France champion, known for his quiet dominance and metronomic power, rarely lavishes praise without cause. But when it comes to Tadej Pogacar, Induráin doesn’t hold back.

“He’s already shown what he’s capable of,” Induráin told Radio Marca. “He has 101 victories, he’s a relentless competitor, and he never lets up — on any terrain. He’s a great rival.”

It’s a sentiment shared across the peloton. Pogacar, just 25, has become a generational talent — a rider who not only wins but does so with flair, aggression, and a versatility that’s reshaping expectations of what a Grand Tour contender should be.

Naturally, it begs the question: would Induráin, in his prime, have relished the challenge of racing against him? “Of course,” he says without hesitation. “You always want to measure yourself against the best. Sometimes you win, sometimes you don’t — but that’s what pushes you to improve. Even if he beats you, you have to make it hard for him. That’s exactly what his rivals are doing.”

Comparisons between eras are common in sport, but Induráin is quick to note how difficult it is to find a historical analogue for Pogacar. “It’s hard to compare him with anyone. He’s a different kind of rider — incredibly explosive. He’s adapted perfectly to modern cycling, which is shorter, more intense, and more geared toward television. Time trials, for example, are still decisive, but the style of racing has changed.”

That evolution — in both the sport’s rhythm and its demands — is something Induráin has observed closely. During his own career, he routinely tackled marathon stages far beyond the distances common today. “I even raced a stage of 340 kilometres,” he recalls. “Now everything’s more compressed, but riders still have to be ready for everything. And Pogacar is — he climbs, descends, time trials… he’s incredibly hard to beat over three weeks.”

The discussion inevitably turns to the modern race calendar — an increasingly dense and demanding schedule that offers little respite for top riders. Induráin believes this unrelenting pace makes sustained longevity at the top significantly more difficult than in previous decades. “The physical and mental strain is huge. They’re on it all year — the Classics, Grand Tours, end-of-season races… the pressure never lets up. In my day, the calendar was more limited. Today there’s more data, more technology, but you still have to endure the pace.”

When asked whether Pogacar could emulate Alejandro Valverde’s remarkable longevity — the Spaniard retired at 42 — Induráin is cautious. “I think it would be tough. It’s a brutal workload now. You’re not just racing more often — you’re racing at full intensity, almost constantly.”

Despite shifts in race dynamics and stage design, Induráin maintains that certain fundamentals haven’t changed — particularly the importance of the time trial in winning Grand Tours. “Yes, you still have to be good at everything. In the past there were longer stages, longer climbs, more volume. Now it’s all more compact — but you still have to be a complete rider.”

It’s that completeness that defines Pogacar, and why legends like Induráin speak of him with such admiration. In a sport that constantly reinvents itself, the benchmark remains the same: excellence across every discipline, every terrain, and every moment that counts.