“For a rider like him, it's just peanuts”: Tadej Pogacar’s €100,000 appearance fee prices him out of traditional post-Tour criteriums
CyclingSunday, 19 July 2026 at 06:00
Tadej Pogacar is unlikely to appear at the traditional post-Tour criteriums in Boxmeer (the Netherlands) or Aalst (Belgium) after this year's Tour de France, with organizers admitting that the Slovenian's appearance fee is simply beyond their budget.
A hefty appearance fee
Should Pogacar secure what would be his fifth Tour de France title, fans hoping to see him in the popular exhibition races immediately after the Tour may be left disappointed. According to Het Nieuwsblad, the world champion is reportedly asking for an appearance fee of around €100,000.
"We simply can't afford him," Aalst organizer Renno Roelandt said. "As the organizer of a free criterium, we just can't manage the amount he's is asking for. The financial risk is too great."
Roelandt also questioned whether the financial incentive would be enough to tempt the UAE Team Emirates - XRG leader. "Maybe other criteriums will sign him, but a lot depends on his own plans. For a rider like Tadej Pogacar, the earnings from a post-Tour criterium are just peanuts."
Tadej Pogacar on stage 11 of the 2026 Tour de France
Other priorities
Instead of chasing Pogacar, the organizers in Aalst are now hoping to attract Belgian star Remco Evenepoel.
A similar outlook exists at Daags na de Tour in Boxmeer, where organizer Pierre Hermans also doubts the Tour favorite will make the trip. "If I'm honest, I don't expect Pogacar to come, for several reasons," Hermans said.
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He explained that money is only one part of the equation. "The team manager has a say. His wife has a say. Maybe he has to go to altitude camp. You never have everything under control."
With recovery, training plans, and preparations for the remainder of the season all factoring into the decision, Pogacar's post-Tour schedule remains uncertain, but organizers on both sides of the Belgian-Dutch border are already preparing for the possibility that cycling's biggest star will not be on the start line.
Félix SernaCycling Journalist
Félix Serna is a writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2025. He covers professional cycling across both the men’s and women’s calendars, with a focus on UCI rankings, race developments, and rider performance. His work includes interview-based reports, liveblogs, and tournament coverage designed to provide clear, accurate context throughout the season.
In his reporting, Félix regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical reference. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. He holds a bachelor’s degree in International Studies.
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- they should test more. we've all seen this movie before and it ends badly. tour just finished it's fastest stage ever but yeah, "it's because of nutrition" lol. anyone who complains should get tested twice the following night.whkman19-07-2026
- There will be no suspicion if JV and Pogacar do bad today because the testing will prove they are not doping. The only reason why they would not perform today is because of the fact that their sleep was disrupted. It’s a clear indication that UCI is interfering in the competition
PogiFan2Day19-07-2026 - Disrupting their rest before a grueling stage right after they had a grueling stage. Nice way to show others that you are not bias. Even if you're not bias, it is hard to shake off the suspicion if both of them suffer and lose time today. Good job, organiser! 4 hours of sleep before a hard stage. I won't be surprised if Tadej gets dropped today.
KerisVroom19-07-2026 - If the French "Inglourious Basterds" did what they did, it would only be fair if, at the same time on the same night, they woke all of the cyclists in the top ten. If it is truly necessary to disrupt cyclists' sleep and recovery in this way before the toughest day, then everyone should be treated equally, amongst them Seixas. Ad acta!!!mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales19-07-2026
- Spot in helping Sexias .French testers lolpaultryan200219-07-2026
- The only reason I can imagine is that UCI had some suspicions regarding micro-dosing so the only way would be to make a night test. However, they could wake up both riders at same time (use two teams of doctors) and/or they could test TOP5 of current classification. Unless someone is trying to help Seixas...averagecyclist19-07-2026
- "I would say to Jonas and Tadej: wake those guys up at two o’clock in the morning for a change. Then they’ll feel what they are doing to us. It is certainly not respectful.” Excellent idea! Only problem is, you have to wake up at 2 anyway
Rafionain-Glas19-07-2026 - The French nickname for Tadej Pogačar: Lance Armstrong II. ... Shame on them!!!mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales19-07-2026
- Bet the testing staff were French lol. Sexias did not get a visit .paultryan200219-07-2026
- This is the abuse of the discretion provided by the regulations, which establish a 12-hour time frame. An athlete has the right to rest. Testing should be avoided between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. This is utter French BS. Believe me, they don't knock on the doors of basketball players, footballers, or track and field athletes at 2:00 a.m. to test them. First the booing... second the waking up of Pogi and Vinnie... what's coming next? French haters spitting... throwing urine at Pogi and Jonas, pushing them off the bike etc. etc.???mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales19-07-2026
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