"It's normal that he struggles mentally" - UAE defend Tadej Pogacar, a potential victim of his own popularity
Cycling
Cycling is a sport in which fans can have a lot of contact with the athletes even if they are the best in the world. Tadej Pogacar lives in Monaco but nevertheless can't escape the large amount of attention on the daily; and teammate Tim Wellens argues that this and his overall popularity adds to the mental fatigue that we now see in the final week of the Tour de France.
"I live next to him, and it's not easy to live like him. Tadej gets up, walks to breakfast, and there are 20 people waiting there, demanding attention. After breakfast, there are another 30 people, and that number again at the bus stop," teammate Tim Wellens said to Sporza. "He's constantly under pressure. A lot is being asked of him, and then I think it's normal that he struggles mentally."
During the Tour de France pre-race press conference Pogacar noted that he had also been patient in giving some of his time to talk to the media, but the team has looked to minimize these small commitments so as to lower the amount of pressure on the Slovenian.
Adding to all this Pogacar's many podium ceremony commitments on the daily throughout the entire race lower the amount of recovery time, and the time spent outside of the race bubble and with the team and family after stages.
"He rarely made a mistake if you gave him a small advantage. They never took him back. I saw he would become a good rider, but not this," DS Andrej Hauptman added. "His strength is his determination. He stays calm in difficult moments. And when he became world champion, he was still motivated for his next goals. I can't understand that."
In a separate interview, the man who 'discovered' Pogacar and helped him go through the ranks and all the way to the top of the sport also talked about what may be Pogacar's weakness: "He's sometimes too honest. Although that hasn't been a weakness so far. Even if he's sometimes not as he'd like to be, or the result isn't what he expected, he handles it well. He processes it and can look to the future again after an hour."
It is easy to assume a rider of such caliber and talent faces little trouble in the world of pro cycling but Hauptman assures that is not the case. "Tadej is human. He can also suffer. I know Tadej. But for people who don't know Tadej, that's difficult to understand. If you sometimes want another rider, your favorite or a friend, to win, it's hard to understand that someone is better."
But he does believe his compatriot has become less aggressive in terms of racing this year, likely as a result of his maturity and experience. "With a number on his back, he's always ready to fight and to race. But he's become more pragmatic, especially this year, and not as aggressive anymore. He's become a bit more defensive when necessary. He's become more mature and calmer. If you had asked me 10 years ago that I could be part of such a story... It's something you only see in American films. But dreams can come true."
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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