"I don't rule out that he will stay at UAE for his entire career" - Tadej Pogacar's agent believes he is in the perfect teams; reveals how he met Slovenian at 18
Cycling
Tadej Pogacar is the man of the moment as the Giro d'Italia is only two days away from it's start in Torino. UAE Team Emirates have assembled in Italy, and keeping a close eye on the team's performance is Alex Carera, agent of the Slovenian. In a recent interview, he talks about how he met the now superstar of cycling.
This was in the 2016 Giro della Lunigiana, a youth ranks race in Italy which Pogacar won, and something grabbed the attention of Carera: "Tadej won there on a bike that was much too heavy. That day we stayed at Tadej's hotel. Our suspicion was correct. His bike was 9.5kg or so and he still won," the agent told Het Nieuwsblad. "Not much later we went to Komenda, in Slovenia. We talked to him for ten minutes and that was enough for him to sign a contract with us when he was 18."
The following year he turned pro with the Continental Slovenian team ROG - Ljubljana, and in 2019 he took the leap to World Tour as a 20-year old, and immediately started winning. Right now, riders are already signed at 19 or even 18 years of age, fresh off the junior ranks. But in UAE Team Emirates Pogacar found a structure that suits him well and does not want to leave.
"What matters most to him are the people around him. He would prefer to have the same mechanics, soigneurs, PR people and sports directors in his area. And he wants them to be happy. That saves him stress. Tadej has a close bond with the team. He almost won his first Tour on his own, but today he can rely on very strong riders around him," Carera says, before adding an interesting bit of information: "I don't rule out that he will stay at UAE for his entire career."
Carera's eyes will then be on the Giro throughout this month of May, not only because of Pogacar but also another rising star under his wing, Cian Uijtdebroeks. "It's only his second Grand Tour, but Cian wants to grow every year," he says of the Belgian rider.
Although Uijtdebroeks hasn't showed the same consistency this year at Team Visma | Lease a Bike, he gets the chance to fight for the overall classification at the Corsa Rosa and have a leading position. "A place in the top five of the final classification would be a nice step for him. Who knows, maybe that will earn him the white youth jersey. That's what he dreams of."
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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.
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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)...
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- It doesnt take a genius to understand that Pogi is 1 level above and Pogi is younger that Jonas, so Jonas will not win under ordinary circumstances. Pogi has to crack hard for Jonas to win. It doesn't matter whether you defend Jonas or not , facts remain facts. Jonas himself says his numbers are better than 2022/2023, so Jonas is more or less optimized and we are just see the stochastic variation due to other factors. I think he will retire along with Pedersen in WC denmarkabstractengineer13-11-2026
- They only raced each other during the 2026 Tour, but here's a few metrics to look at. Stage 3 (Granollers to Les Angles): Pogačar won the stage, finishing 2 seconds ahead of Vingegaard (2nd). Del Toro finished 24 seconds behind Stage 6 (Pau to Gavarnie-Gedre / Col du Tourmalet): Pogačar won solo, Vingegaard finished 2nd (losing 2:38), and Del Toro finished 3rd (at +2:57, finishing 19 seconds behind Vingegaard). Here, Jonas Vingegaard outclimbed Isaac del Toro by 19 seconds on the mountain stageawp13-11-2026
- your clinging to the past. Jonas was dropped by del toro many times last year and jonas never managed a climbing numers del toro did in dauphine last year -entire year. Trend is also evident theres no discussion your living in the past, its beent he same with jonas for many years now and only developing, meanwhile del toro is rising and developing greatly. This is all obvious stuff and im not even a del toro fan. No point discussing numbers or this i suspect you dont watch much now but rather think its 2022 still cause this aint hard.miguel13-11-2026
- We can go through metrics if you like, Del Toro, who I do admire and support, is not on the same level as Jonas just yet. You will see that in early 2027 if they have any crossover races. I do hope they both race the Giro. You are correct though, Jonas is getting older and will not be able to hand on much longer. I see 2027 as a good year for him. Obviously behind Tadej though.awp13-11-2026
- What wins? Are you LA operating under a pseudonym?mij13-11-2026
- My point is this - Tadej, Remco, Seixas are all the outliers. Many riders don’t hit their peak until 28. It’s way too early to write him off. And the pogi slo guy that hates him - he’s also immature. Ayuso needs time.mij13-11-2026
- Then you need to use ur eyes or head if you have cause del toro already dropped jonas two times and beat him in tdf stages already this year.. Del toro climbed(dauphine) better numbers than jonas did all year too. So ur feelings and wishful thinking doesnt amtter del toro himself has already surpassed jonas infact just facts. Its also very evident for anyone objective that Jonas is declining alot, its just the truth and super obvious.miguel13-11-2026
- None of those victories stand, so there's that,wrsty13-11-2026
- No surprise there; it is British Sycling, yes, with an S
Rafionain-Glas12-11-2026 - I like Del Toro but he's not on the level of Jonas, by a large margin.awp12-11-2026
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The countdown to the first Grand Tour of 2024 is on!🇮🇹 We can’t wait to race at the @giroditalia and put on a performances for our fans all around the world! #UAETeamEmirates #WeAreUAE
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