"If he goes and does nothing or abandons it could be a very hard blow" - Miguel Indurain warns Paul Seixas supporters against Tour de France expectations

Miguel Induráin assesses modern cycling with the perspective of someone who dominated an era and knows the sport’s demands inside out. The Spaniard, a former multiple Tour de France winner, focuses on Tadej Pogacar’s current form, seeing him a step ahead of the rest of the peloton, and on the pressure building around Paul Seixas in France.

“He’s got that little extra over the others. Pogacar is in sparkling form and you also have to value the team around him. He’s very hard to beat,” Induráin said in an interview with AS, underlining both the Slovenian’s individual level and the importance of the block that supports him in the big races.

The five-time Tour winner also dwells on the pressure surrounding young prospects. Without naming names, he warns of the risk of placing outsized expectations on very young riders, especially in countries with a deep cycling tradition like France. “Others, at his age, had already gone. But nowadays… in France they’re very excited and we have to be careful, because if he goes and does nothing or abandons it could be a very hard blow. I think everything needs to be calmed down a bit. Cycling is very demanding for riders,” he reflects.

With the Frenchman recently finished second to Pogacar at Liège-Bastogne-Liège - as he also did at Strade Bianche - it shows a world-class level already that very few can match. There is a spark that has not been seen for years with a new contender entering the Tour de France, one that hasn't even ridden a Grand Tour as of yet.

Induráin also draws a comparison between generations, making it clear that each era has its own keys. “Everyone rides in the era they get. We also revamped cycling with nutrition, training, handlebars… but it’s true that now everything runs on data and is tightly controlled. Stages are shorter, faster, more explosive, and I prefer them over 200 kilometres,” he explains, hinting at a certain nostalgia for endurance-based racing.

The Navarrese does not forget the sport’s inherent hardness, both physical and mental. “It’s a tough, dangerous profession, but I liked competing, riding the bike. I have very good memories, although I left a bit mentally and physically spent,” he admits about the end of his career.

His trajectory was as long as it was demanding. Induráin recalls his numbers matter-of-factly: “I started at 19 and in my last years I did almost 38,000 kilometres. I had no injuries and every year was intense, without a break,” a testament to the consistency that defined his career.

Now retired, his bond with the bike remains intact. “A week after retiring I was already back on the bike, and the only time I don’t go is in winter. But as soon as the weather turns a bit, I’m out. I like it and I go at my own pace to enjoy it. I don’t calculate what I do or anything, I just wear the heart-rate monitor and that’s it. It’s true that sometimes I get carried away and when I look later I think I should ease off a bit, but I’m fine. Happy. I really like the bike.”