"I couldn't believe he had done it" - Tadej Pogacar on new World Champion McNulty, return to training and 2031 goals
Cycling
From this weekend onwards, Tadej Pogacar will no longer be reigning World or European Champion. Back in Slovenia and riding on home roads, the UAE Team Emirates - XRG rider has discussed his future and his teammate Brandon McNulty's win at the World Championships.
Ljubljana, Slovenia. Over the coming week, the cycling world will have its eyes turned to the central European nation which has been home to Primoz Roglic and Tadej Pogacar.
Much due to the influence of the latter, Slovenia is hosting the European Championships - which will, in its elite road races, ride through his hometown of Komenda and finish nearby.
Pogacar has made it to Slovenia and his riding around the very same roads, but will not be competing in the event. During the Vuelta a España, the former World Champion suffered a concussion and fractured collarbone alongside a vertebra, which he could not recover in time from.
"I’m doing well; I’m getting better with every day after the crash. I’m riding the bike and enjoying the last nice autumn days here in Slovenia," the Slovenian said ahead of the event. Training in the area with his partner Urska Zigart, its been a relaxing few days as his health continues to improve.
"In the last few days she's been kicking my ass on the climbs and on the downhills too. I have to follow her now but we're having a good time on the bike together".

Tadej Pogacar abandoned the Vuelta a España after a crash on stage 8
Pogacar on Brandon McNulty
Whilst not what he would've desired, Pogacar is having an unusually agenda and pressure-free end of the season. He has spent the World Championships at home and, in his absence, could watch one of his teammates take the victory.
"Of course, I spoke with Brandon; at the World Championships I was rooting for a few people in the final of the race and one of them was Brandon," Pogacar admitted, having helped McNulty to victory on the same course 12 months prior at the GP de Montréal.
Nevertheless, he never would've expected such a win at the World Championships. "It was a beautiful, incredible race. When Brandon crossed the line and won I couldn't believe he had done it. I was so, so happy for him. We spoke the next day and it was a special moment."
Pogacar takes aim at 2031 'super' World Championships
Pogacar is recovering from his injuries and later on set his sights on the 2027 season. A record-breaking sixth Tour de France win and a maiden Paris-Roubaix victory should be his biggest goals.
But alongside that, the climber-focused World Championships course in Sallanches will be a perfect fit for his abilities. This upcoming year will be an edition of the 'super' World Championships, in which plenty disciplines of the sport host their worlds on the same venue.
With a contract now standing all the way until 2032, he will still be present to take part in the 2031 Trentin 'super Worlds'. "I’ll be 33 years old; I hope I'll be there and racing. It's my dream to still be good then".
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"I’m not getting any younger. For sure there are going to be many, many rivals for this World Championships that we don't even know yet.
Asked about that event in specific, it could come at a time in his career where his palmarès looks quite different than what is the case today. But in any case, he intends on fighting for the rainbow jersey that year.
"Every year is going to be harder but that doesn't matter. I'm looking forward to being there in 2031 for the super World Championships in Trentino. I'll give my best if I have the chance."

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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- Hey @Jumping Hare Johnny... I have no sympathy for Ayuso or the situations he gets himself into. He was a traitor in the UAE team, he hated Pogi and never wanted to work for him. He always had excuses why he couldn't perform. No riders in the team liked his character and did not approve the kind of person he was on a deep, moral, or personal level. I just don't care about him. Capish?PogiSloFans12-11-2026
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- Bruyneel, for all his faults, guided a team to seven straight TdF victories. He's got his bona fides. Criticizing him on his tactical nous or team strategies seems a bit weak. He's entitled to his opinion.Occam12-11-2026
- You don't have to calculate it. Just watch "Anatomy of a G.O.A.T." and you will have all the numbers but... ... if you are Ford and you will calculate numbers of Lamborghini it will not help you. Just saying..averagecyclist12-11-2026
- anybody can calculate the numbers of Tadej , its not secret. We already have the parcour distance elevation data, we have the strava data of a number of riders for reference, we have Pogi's time vs distance. Form there Pogi numbers on every climb can be calculated. Having numbers means nothingabstractengineer12-11-2026
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