"He's going to stop at some point" - INEOS strategy revolves around Pogacar as Geraint Thomas demands riders believe they can reach top level
Cycling
Geraint Thomas believes that although Tadej Pogacar will stop cycling at point or another, his Netcompany INEOS team should believe that, while the Slovenian continues to improve, they can continue to push the envelope in pursuit of success.
The UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider's stratospheric performances have left the majority of cycling teams and riders behind as he shatters records and sweeps up major honours. The Welshman knows all too well what it's like to follow his wheel.
And while his days of chasing Pogacar on two wheels are over, the game has moved to four wheels for Thomas as he completed his first full season as the team's Director of Racing - tasked with helping the team close the gap and someday best him at Grand Tours.
In a year of learnings for the 2018 yellow jersey, Thomas quickly adjusted to life in retirement as he builds his support network around managing the British team on a daily basis.
"It's still the principles of just running a team and how you go about making decisions," he told Velora Cycling.
"Not shooting from the hip all the time. Making sure you think things through and you speak to the right people and you've got to trust the right people."
Thomas reflects on moving to management
That doesn't mean retirement and a transition to a small leadership team has been easy. There's been occasions where 'G' finds himself unable to have the same relationship with riders and staff he was once peers with.
"Hardest thing for me is, I'm mates with a lot of the riders still, or some guys, or DSs. If there's something happening but I can't speak to them, where before you could, it was just a bit like, shit, I can't open up to this guy.
"If there's something on my mind, it's been like, who'd you go to now, you know? The people you can speak to gets smaller and smaller the further up you go almost."
Pushing boundaries has been the theme of cycling over the past decade as the sport's evolution has seen a host of massive gains in nutrition, technology and preparation. He thinks that his INEOS team riders need to be intent on improving with every year.
INEOS aim to improve with Pogacar's level as the goal
"I say this to the team all the time, doesn't matter if it's, oh, you're close to your best, or I'm matching what I did last year. You got to be better. You got to be striving to do more and more. And that's what I was always like.
"I think we've got to always believe and always keep trying to be the best. I think Pog can continue to get better. But why can't everybody else? And then who knows how much better they can get?"
His attention then turned to Pogacar, who he believes is still improving as the years go on. In the face of his domination already, he wants to guide INEOS up the steps towards challenging him while he's still competitive, or at least being the next best in line should the Slovenian retire or see his form diminish.
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He added: "Certainly next year you're looking at it thinking it's tough, but otherwise we'd all just stop. You need to believe that you can build up to something, and there's always going to be someone out there.
"He's going to stop at some point, and we want to be in the position to be there or be competitive when he's still competitive,” he said. “But certainly once he stops, be there ready to take it."
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- Mathieu and Wout!!! You must start in CX this winter! (hope you reading comments here...) ;-)averagecyclist12-11-2026
- Who made you site boss?Lozza12-11-2026
- This shows so well you’ve never ventured out to a cycling event and checked out spectators.Jumpyjohn12-11-2026
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- From your writing it sounds like you’ve been sharing your views with people here for quite a while, quite presumouptuous for a new profile.Jumpyjohn12-11-2026
- Which is amazing given his weight and size, though, unlike in boxing and some rare instances we haven’t a clue what his fighting weight was. Anybody know why these “public” figures floated around are considered as being accurate?Jumpyjohn12-11-2026
- That’s a first point, everyone can have an off year or just stagnate before a new upward cycle. What would have been more interesting is including Skjelmose’s performance into the discussion, things have also been expected from him after several performances in the past but he hasn’t really progressed either, his TdF was basically what you would have expected but he’s 26 and been kind of stuck at this level for at least 2-3 years. Maybe he’s a late developer or maybe he needs something to change but as manager I’d be just as demanding and worried about both. Perhaps the recruitment concept was to have enough talent so at least one every year would be in shape and they’ve just been unlucky. Don’t want to rub it in but you could even say Mads lost a notch, so is it the riders or is it more to do with the team?Jumpyjohn12-11-2026
- Bingo...I was also going to say that young pretty women are obsessed Pogi fan girls... who are chasing him. All glossy "____" (blank) about Tadej. PS: You can all fill in the "blank" yourselves, whatever you prefer. The definition of glossy is: It looks unusually shiny, glazed over, watery, or vacant/unfocused.PogiSloFans12-11-2026
- Are you able to discuss ANYTHING without making a reference back to your Special 1? It’s almost as if you’re paid by his marketing team to improve his ranking in search results.Jumpyjohn12-11-2026
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