"He is also personally interested in you. Small things but valuable for a helper" - Departing UAE man on why Tadej Pogacar garners such support from teammates

UAE Team Emirates have been the standout team in the peloton over the course of the 2024 season, led by their all-conquering leader, Tadej Pogacar. According to Sjoerd Bax, who will be departing UAE Team Emirates at the end of the year, the Slovenian knows how to get the best out of his teammates.

''I didn't end up riding very many races with him," Bax rues though, in conversation with Cycling Online ahead of his move to the ambitious Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team. "I was able to make a significant contribution to his victory in Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2024 by working hard for him at the beginning of the race. I was also supposed to do Il Lombardia with him at the end of the year, but I was having a lot of trouble with my hip at the time. A year earlier, I had fallen in that race and got a pin in it. That played a role at the time. So unfortunately I had to cancel that race."

From the experiences Bax had of Pogacar and his leadership though, the Dutchman has been left incredibly impressed. "In general, I can say that it is very pleasant to work and race with him. You know in advance that the certainty of winning is already about 95 percent when he is at the start," he explains. "And that's what the whole peloton assumes in advance."

That also has benefits for Bax when attempting to do his domestique duties. "As a team, you often have to carry the race, but there's also respect for that. When I went to get water bottles from the team car, you had all the space in the peloton to ride forward again if you had that shirt around your shoulders," he says.

"I have a lot of respect for him. Just like Mathieu van der Poel, he remains friendly and full of energy - despite all the attention. Those guys remain nice and respectful. I think Tadej Pogacar is one of the best leaders you could wish for, not only because he often makes it happen by winning, but also because he always thanks his teammates afterwards and also stays to chat with you for a while," Bax concludes. "And is also personally interested in you - despite the enormous focus he always has to maintain - but he also lets you know that he knows you have a girlfriend at home and in which country you live. Those are small things, but valuable for a helper.''