"It's pretty crazy what he does" - Simon Geschke reminds we should to enjoy the show called Tadej Pogacar as nothing lasts forever

Simon Geschke hung up his bike after the Münsterland Giro this October, but he certainly won't suddenly disappear from sport, even if priorities are elsewhere at the moment.

For Geschke it's strange to be home whole winter instead of travelling to training camps in Spain and whatnot. But he instead rides his bike when he wants to. And above all - gets to spend time with his first son. "To be honest, winter training with all the structured sessions and often bad weather - I don't miss that at all," the recently-retired Geschke admits in an interview for Eurosport. "I've noticed over the last few years that I'm getting less and less excited about it. So I'm enjoying this freedom for now."

The 38-year-old may not have been the protagonist for the most of his career, but he can still look back at many great results - most notably stage win at the 2015 Tour de France. He was also part of Dumoulin's 2017 Giro title and second place at 2018 Tour. Which does he rate higher?

"The best part is of course the individual placings, I wouldn't want to trade them for anything. But it was also a great experience to help Tom Dumoulin win the Giro or second place in the Tour. My own stage win is of course on a different level. It can perhaps be compared to when you cross the finish line and know that you have achieved the maximum - even if you didn't win."

Geschke witnessed several cycling eras during his lengthy professional career. During the 16 years, he had the opportunity to race alongside several greats such as Dumoulin, Marcel Kittel or John Degenkolb. Right now we may be living in Tadej Pogacar's world, but the German veteran speaks from experience when he calmly states that sooner or later, also the Slovenian phenomenon will be overcome, even if it won't happen overnight.

"I have witnessed some of his absurd performances live this year. This year he was on another level again. I admire his aggressive riding style and his carefree attitude. He is not afraid to attack 100 kilometers from the finish, like at the World Championships. It's pretty crazy what he does. That makes him a very entertaining rider. Behind the scenes he is, I think, a hard and serious worker, but on the bike he often seems relaxed and playful. That's what makes him special - he simply has charisma and is such a complete rider."