INTERVIEW | "He is a champion in every way" - António Morgado on Tadej Pogacar, incredible neo-pro season and Tour of Flanders' shocking Top5
Cycling
António Morgado is one of the great figures of Portuguese cycling and he will have another compatriot at World Tour level this year. The 'Flying Moustache' has talked about his incredibly surprising Tour of Flanders debut, plans for 2025 and Tadej Pogacar amongst others to CyclingUpToDate.
"It was a good season with ups and downs but I considered it a good season," he told us at UAE Team Emirates' media day. "I think we always have to improve in our weak points but let's see how it goes". He does not know yet whether he will fully focus on a specialty in cycling, and that he still has time to develop a lot as a rider.
Morgado, who struggled with positioning, was a shocking revelation at the Tour of Flanders, as he was repeatedly dropped, only to then find himself in the group fighting for second place behind Mathieu van der Poel. An impressive result for a rider of only 20 years of age, specially one from a country with no tradition in the classics and no previous experience in such a race.
"I didn't expect to finish fifth but I don't feel the pressure. It's a one-day race, I found myself well, and I'm happy for having finished fifth but it doesn't pressure me to have to improve," he tells. "I was always behind, always alone the whole race, but I knew I was good, I didn't give up. I think if I was well positioned, if we had passed through the Koppenberg without dismounting that the race would've been completely different but it is what it is".
But we do not know whether the Flandrien monument will again be on his schedule - specially as Tadej Pogacar will aim for the win this upcoming spring. "I'll do less one-day races but I'll give my best in all of them".
Although he initially said there were no calendar choices yet, he has hinted that he should team up with compatriot João Almeida and both will be men to watch in the duo of early-season Portuguese races. "I'll try to help João in the [Volta ao] Algarve and Figueira [Champions Classic] and I hope to be good".
On Tadej Pogacar, Morgado has nothing but praise: "He's a normal guy, specially to the younger people who are less known and I think he is a champion in every way". UAE Team Emirates is a team packed with stars, with new ones coming every year. But this does not put pressure on the 20-year old's shoulders: "It's the best team in the world, everyone wants to come here and everyone who's good deserves to come here and I'm happy because they're good teammates".
However, Morgado will not yet do a Grand Tour this year, this will have to wait until at least 2026: "I don't think I'm ready yet to do a Grand Tour, I have to prepare better and do one-week races. When I go to a Grand Tour I want to be prepared, I want to be good, I don't want to be dropped everyday".
Lastly, the Portuguese crowd have another rider joining the World Tour ranks, a surprising addition in Afonso Eulálio who was a rare instance of a rider moving from the Portuguese scene straight to the World Tour. "We've raced together, a five-star guy and if he did well in Portugal he can also do well here," Morgado said of the now Bahrain-Victorious rider.
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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.
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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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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