"He gave me a bit more push for the future" - Tadej Pogacar admits Paul Seixas motivates him to be stronger on the bike
Cycling
Tadej Pogacar has since 2024 been the undisputed ruler of the world of cycling. A rider that is winning Grand Tours, world titles and monuments left and right can be happy with his position in the sport; but the World Champion knows he must continue improving, specially with the arrival of Paul Seixas to the big scene this year.
Ahead of the Tour de Romandie, Pogacar talked to an Italian-Swiss TV outlet in an extended interview where he shared a lot of insight about his career, mentality and personality on and off the bike. Several topics that are of relevancy, such as how he handles the pressure of being nicknamed the 'record guy' and the responsibility that comes with being on top of the cycling world.
However amongst others, he talked about UAE Team Emirates - XRG, and shared his gratefulness over the work of his teammates which build the base for his success in competition. "I always feel kind of bad for the teammates, because then it's just one guy on the podium. But the work the guys do, for example in Liège, they work much harder for longer than for example me," Pogacar said in an interview with RSI Sport.
"That I just deliver the victory. Maybe in the future I'll realise that it's a more important team, and we will see, after the finish, all the team together on the podium. That would be a good move."
Paul Seixas pushes Tadej Pogacar to improve
Early in his career, Pogacar benefited from his incredible genetics to succeed in pro cycling, but in 2022 and 2023 he found a stronger rival in Jonas Vingegaard who defeated him twice at the Tour de France. That required a mentality change from the Slovenian, who put on more attention to detail in the years since, changed coaches, and has for the past two and a half seasons turned almost everything he touched into gold.
But that will not last forever. How much it will last is a question no-one has an answer to, but with the rise of Paul Seixas, we could be seeing the next big battle at the head of the Grand Tours. The Frenchman is only 19 years old but has had an incredibly spring featuring wins at Itzulia Basque Country and La Flèche Wallonne; whilst he was second to Pogacar at Strade Bianche and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
La Doyenne sparked a moment of change for Pogacar, who was followed by the Frenchman on the Côte de la Redoute despite an all-out attack. "It was a good sensation riding against Paul. I was afraid that I would be like 'okay he's on my wheel I give up' or whatever, but he pushed me more".
Whilst the Frenchman did crack afterwards, the insane wattages that he has been delivering, including in the Belgian monument, pose a threat to Pogacar's dominance - if not in the short-term, the medium term. It also means other talents such as Seixas may emerge and rise to the top of the sport at an equally small amount of time.
Pogacar praises his new rival and admits that he is a reason for Pogacar to push himself harder to keep his position. "Because I think he's a good kid, very mature for his age, and he's really racing with his heart, with no bullshit. He gave me a bit more push for the future."
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Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- UAE Team Emirates and Pogačar will officially unveil their objectives at the team’s media day, which will take place on December 18 in Benidorm, Spain. New information from the UAE Team: Exceptional recovery remains the cornerstone of success for the Slovenian cannibal-Pogi, whose sporting manager, Matxin, believes he will be even better in 2027 than he has been over the past three seasons.PogiSloFans06-11-2026
- Yeh, but he didn't and RE beat Pog & Del T 👍
leedorney06-11-2026 - Just my opinionleedorney06-11-2026
- Great win.However will the world champions jersey be simply a domestic for the season which will some what tarnish the jersey. I hope he is given free rein to try and win some races.paultryan200206-11-2026
- Gretsky wow how old are you lol. Classy sportman though.🤣🤣🤣🤣 Hope it is a good as the one they made on Mark Cavendish.paultryan200206-11-2026
- Literally the perfect RedBull athlete.anonymouscyclist06-11-2026
- And well understood in the CX community.anonymouscyclist06-11-2026
- "Anatomy of a G.O.A.T." OK, that's great!!! I've been saying all along: Tadej Pogačar-Pogi is the G.O.A.T... period. Not only in cycling... but he's the greatest sportsman that ever lived !!! But let's take a look of what real foolishness looks like: We have many many fools, also on this site, saying that Pogi is "boring,"... he's making cycling "boring"??? I can't believe what's comming out of their deteriorating smelly mouths. So I guess Merckx, Hinault, Indurain, Fasto Coppi and Anquetil were also boring!?!? I guess Michael Jordan, Le Bron, Gretzky, Messi, Ronaldo, Shumacher, Novak Džoković, Federer, Rossi, Marquez, Phelps, Michaela Shiffrin, Venus Williams, Bolt, Lewis Hamilton... etc. were all boring. PS: Many cycling "fans" that think that way, have to get a brain scan. Ad acta!!!PogiSloFans06-11-2026
- ridiculous. a normal racing incident. how lame do you have to be to complain about that?Ketterechts06-11-2026
- Rubbing is racing.
santiagobenites06-11-2026
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