"I suffered a lot because I had a very bad crash... I still have a scar on my Achilles" - Tadej Pogacar returns to Romandie region still scarred by youth race nightmare

The last time Tadej Pogacar raced in the Romandie region, it left a mark that has never fully faded. More than a decade on, as he prepares to start the Tour de Romandie, the Slovenian arrives not only as the defining force in modern cycling, but with a memory from his youth that still carries physical weight.

That contrast could hardly be sharper. Then, a junior rider enduring a difficult week. Now, the defining force in modern cycling, stepping straight from victory at Liège-Bastogne-Liège into one of the few WorldTour stage races missing from his palmarès.

Pogacar’s connection to the region dates back to the Tour du Pays de Vaud, where his experience stands out sharply against what would later become the norm in his career. Racing there as a junior in 2015 and 2016, he finished 74th overall in one edition before improving to sixth the following year. That earlier appearance, in particular, was shaped by a crash that continues to linger.

Reflecting on that race ahead of Romandie, he recalled: “It was a nice race, but I suffered a lot because I had a very bad crash. I still have a scar on my Achilles from that crash, from the chainring. “I wasn’t very good there and we had a double stage. In the afternoon I had stomach problems as well. It was a week where every day something went wrong," he recalled in his pre-Romandie press conference. “In the end, I managed to get into the top 10 on the final stage, so I was happy with that. But overall, it was quite a terrible week for me.”

Even with that experience, his view of the region itself remains positive, describing it simply as “a nice area to race in.”

The version of Pogacar returning to Switzerland this week bears little resemblance to the rider who endured that difficult junior race. He arrives at the Tour de Romandie having just claimed victory at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, his 13th Monument, capping a spring campaign that has seen him win across multiple terrains and race formats. That success has been built in familiar fashion, through aggressive, race-defining moves rather than conservative control.

But the turnaround is immediate. From a maximal one day effort in the Ardennes to a six day stage race beginning just days later, the challenge shifts quickly, even if the objective remains unchanged.

“I want to win, and it’s no secret that we want to win here in Romandie as well. We will try our best,” Pogacar previewed. “At the same time, every race is different and it’s difficult to fight for the win. We’ll see how it goes through the week. If I don’t win, it’s not going to be the end of the world. I will give my best to try and also get the Tour de Romandie into my palmarès.”

The structure of this year’s race presents a slightly different challenge to what Pogacar had anticipated. “I think it’s a pretty hard race. When we planned it back in December, I was hoping there would be two time trials like normal, a prologue and a longer one,” he explained. “But it’s just the prologue, so that’s one less big challenge in this race. I was quite looking forward to testing myself because I don’t do so many time trials. But the parcours suits me really well, so if everything goes well, it should be fun.”

That opening prologue, short and intense, offers an immediate test. As Pogacar put it: “It’s all out for three kilometres. It’s going to be really painful for the legs and lungs.”

Beyond that, the race opens up into a week where opportunities are expected to come frequently. “After that, we go more or less day by day. Every stage is a good chance to attack, but I think the other teams are thinking the same," predicts the world champion. “There are so many opportunities through the week, maybe even for surprise attacks. Every stage looks pretty good to give it a try.”

When asked about his aforementioned Liège-Bastogne-Liège win and the standout performance of 19-year-old Paul Seixas, Pogacar was clear in his assessment. “He was more impressive than me,” he said.

“When I was his age, I was still at a much lower level, so there is a big difference compared to being 19,” Pogacar added. “I think it’s very impressive. Remco Evenepoel was also very impressive at that age.”

“Maybe if you compare, Remco at 19 was already winning a lot of races,” he said. “But what Paul has shown so far is very impressive.”

For all the dominance of his 2026 season, the Tour de Romandie remains a rare gap in Pogacar’s record, adding another layer of motivation to a race that already carries personal history.

He returns to the region shaped by a very different experience, one defined by crashes, illness and frustration. This time, he does so as the rider everyone else must measure themselves against.

Whether that translates into victory over the coming week will be decided on the climbs of western Switzerland, but the contrast is already clear. From a race that once left a lasting scar, Pogacar now arrives with the chance to leave his mark on Romandie in an entirely different way.