How does Tadej Pogacar prepare for 2026? Ski trip with Urška & Sanremo recon with legendary descender Bonifazio!
Cycling
For a second year in a row, Tadej Pogacar continued to leave everyone speechless with his cycling performances in 2025. He didn't add as prestigious achievements as the Triple Crown in 2024 to his palmares, but still finished on top of the 2025 ranking, miles ahead of every other cyclist.
The Slovenian won his 4th Tour de France, became both European and World champion in road race, and rounded off his Monumental victories counter at 10 with victories at Il Lombardia (5x), Liege-Bastogne-Liege (3) and Tour of Flanders (2).
Pogacar also stood on the podium of Milano-Sanremo and Paris-Roubaix, but failed to surpass Mathieu van der Poel in both instances (at Sanremo he was outsprinted by Filippo Ganna too). In particular the Italian race is proving year in, year out to be a tough nut to crack for Pogacar as the race typically isn't hard enough for the phenomenon to get rid of all his rivals.
So what now, if it doesn't work uphill? Maybe descending faster than rivals is the way. Historically, riders were able to win Milano-Sanremo through a hellish descent from the Poggio. Matej Mohoric in 2022 or Vincenzo Nibali in 2018 come to mind. And in his latest Instagram post, Pogacar reveals to have teamed up with local legend and author of one of the most iconic Cipressa descends from 2019, Niccolo Bonifazio, who is keeping himself entertained even in retirement.
Back in Isola
But it's not all about training, Pogacar also finds time to enjoy time in the off-season, as he shows with a collection of photos from his holidays alongside Urška Žigart, and more.
"Thank you Isola 2000," Pogacar wrote on Instagram. In 2024, he won the nineteenth stage of the Tour de France at this ski resort, after previously training there with Žigart. Now the cycling duo went skiing in the area. "It was nice to be in the snow for once. But now I'm back to work on the sunny coast with Niccolo Bonifazio," he laughed, before concluding his post: "Good days, good preparations, and only good vibes with Urška Žigart."
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
claps 6visitors 3
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- i am sure that under the pretext of medical examination a lot worse has happened when they were under.abstractengineer02-11-2026
- dude, Lemond never even was in the same race as Armstrong. He throws all these aspersions on other American riders who might usurp his throne as the greatest ever American racer. He doesn't say a single thing about (foreign) dopers who he actually raced against. Biggest douchebag move ever. I used to revere that guy, now I despise him. His actions are so weird.fatsupermodel02-11-2026
- This is just stupid, You do what you are good at not what you are weak at. He has no results to speak of when he participated. Even Froome, Conatdor had very little. With Pogi there he wont win none of the classics. he is already 30+ with a few years left at the top. It takes years to get good at classics. Is that really worth the effort???abstractengineer02-11-2026
- Sure, little fella.awp02-11-2026
- You'll be the ongoing joke of 2027 with anything you post here!frieders302-11-2026
- Awwww your inside information must be from PogiFanGirl. You two daughters of different mothers?frieders302-11-2026
- Hey PogIFanGirl...wipe that cream from your lips! You're ever loving drooling and whatever you have for Tadej has your brain fried!frieders302-11-2026
- Why should he 'let it go' ! Because you said so? Anytime LA Doper is called out is a win win !frieders302-11-2026
- Geez LeMond...let it go. You're a has been, albeit a former great one. But this is all water under the bridge and just undermines your legacy further.Mshark01-11-2026
- 'The Slovenian has collected four Tour de France titles' ... '[Kieran Wood's] ... reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis'. i would say that is pretty inaccurate accurate coverage, kieran wood ... too bad that AI's knowledge often lags several months behind ... but proof reading is certainly part of accurate coverage, isn't it? but fortunately does Kieran Wood place 'strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.' i would say the fifth tdf title is pretty new (and even verified) information, so feel free to update this article.Ketterechts01-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment