"In the hotel rooms he's a normal guy, but when he's on the bike, he's like a killer" - Rafal Majka gives unique insight on Tadej Pogacar the man

After a decade and a half in the World Tour, Rafal Majka announced recently that he's hanging up his cycling shoes for the final time at the conclusion of the 2025 season. Having broken through at Tinkoff - Saxo, working alongside Alberto Contador, in more recent years, Majka has found himself one of the key mountain domestiques for Tadej Pogacar. 

It's said occasionally, that Pogacar is so good he doesn't need a team around him to be successful. Over three Tours de France between 2021 and 2023, plus the 2024 Giro d'Italia however, Majka showed himself as an integral part of the UAE Team Emirates - XRG leader's support train.

In the process, Majka has gotten to know Tadej Pogacar the man, quite well over the years. "He's like a normal person, and also I spend a lot of time with him in the hotel rooms, and it's a normal guy, but when he's on the bike, he's like a killer," Majka explained in quotes collected by Cycling News from the Tour de Pologne. 

In fact, Majka's final ride of his career will be in support of Pogacar later this year. "Finishing with Lombardia with him will be really nice," the 35-year-old looks ahead.

"I was still thinking after the Giro that I could maybe do one more year, but you know, it's also important to be with the family after a lot of years living out of a suitcase," continues Majka. "I want to finish when I'm wearing the Polish National Champion's jersey, too, so I'm really happy to be racing here in the Tour de Pologne right now."

As he touched upon there, with his retirement decision, Majka is choosing to put his family first. "I just did the Tour of Austria and finished third overall there, but then you see the kids are growing up and you are never home," the Polish ace explains. "This is my decision because I want to enjoy things more and ride my bike without having to work."

And despite having spent the majority of his career working tirelessly for the likes of Contador and Pogacar, Majka has no regrets. "I have more domestique work but it's nice to work for the best rider in the world like Tadej Pogacar," he smiles. "It's easier for my head, and I've been enjoying these last five years more. When you are a team leader, of course, I enjoyed that, but when you are older, you tell yourself - yeah, maybe it's better to be a domestique."

At the Tour de Pologne though, Majka has more than half an eye on taking one last big victory in front of his compatriots. "Obviously I will try, but we know the last day is a time trial," he concludes, admitting the GC might be a step too far because of his known weakness against the clock. "So I will look to see what I can do in the stages, some of which are good for me. Pologne is always like seven days of Classics racing, though. Really, anything can happen."