"Normally I charge between €20 and €30 for a cut, but Tadej Pogacar gave me €45!" - Belgian barber gets unique insight on world champion after Tour of Flanders recon
Cycling
A routine recon of the Tour of Flanders route led to an unexpected moment in Waregem, where world champion Tadej Pogacar stopped for a haircut after a heavy day of training.
The visit was first reported by Het Nieuwsblad, and the reaction from the local barber showed just how memorable the stop turned out to be.
Pogacar began the week on the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix, where he joined Florian Vermeersch, Tim Wellens and Nils Politt to assess equipment choices. The group spent Tuesday testing different setups with a focus on tyre pressure, comfort on the pave and aerodynamic feel, according to the Belgian outlet.
On Wednesday morning he switched to the Tour of Flanders. Fans in the region spotted him on the Oude Kwaremont and the Paterberg while riding the Y1Rs aero bike. It was an eye catching choice for a recon often tackled on more robust models and it underlined how seriously UAE Team Emirates - XRG are approaching the build up to the spring monuments.
A world champion walks into Odin’s Barbershop
After finishing Tuesday’s training ride, Pogacar headed into the centre of Waregem with two friends and stepped into Odin’s Barbershop, a business that opened only a few weeks earlier. Barber Odin Samrel told Het Nieuwsblad that Pogacar had phoned him personally to arrange the visit.
Samrel said, "He showed me the hairstyle he wanted and I gave it to him. Tadej was super friendly, what a great person."
He added that he tried to offer the haircut for free, but Pogacar refused. As he put it, "I wanted to treat him, but he insisted on paying. Normally I charge between 20 and 30 euro for a cut, he gave me 45 euro."
A quick selfie rounded things off before the riders returned to their hotel.
Conclusion
The recon sessions will be the most important element for UAE as they shape their approach to two of cycling’s toughest races, but it was the relaxed visit to a Waregem barbershop that caught the public imagination. Pogacar’s calm manner and grounded presence continue to stand out, even in the middle of an intense classics build up.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- You despise him because he calls out the truth....OK clown !frieders303-11-2026
- JV is really slighting himself with not doing the 1 dayers.. 🤷
leedorney02-11-2026 - Watch the interview on youtube. I don't speak French. I do speak English and Spanish and you can hear it in his voice. Years ago LeMond had real personal problems I imagine in no small part because of Armstrong. then Armstrong goes round "full blast" re: LeMond having drinking and drug problems. The same way Andreu was expelled from mainstream cycling so was LeMond. On the positive side the clips of the ride and chatting with old teammates and was good. To seemed like a fun day and experience and good reason brush up his French.atom02-11-2026
- and another no-news article around the ‚2 tokyo jogging rounds‘ headline, this time spiced with some days old ‚news‘ that the LA and japan vacation trips come during or after the tdf route release. i am getting more and more annoyed by this time-stealing no-news crap. but who am i to complain? nobody forces me to come back for more ‚news‘ day after day …Ketterechts02-11-2026
- It would likely be a very steep section of 4.1 km, not changing the average gradient considerably, with the climb remaining 10.1 km at 11.8%. It would reach 20% on the gravel. It would start 1.6 km in, and finish with 4.2 km left to climb (before the short final descent)
Rafionain-Glas02-11-2026 - Welcome to the off-season.
santiagobenites02-11-2026 - guillaume martin in this list is quite a surprise as a gc rider.Ketterechts02-11-2026
- Who cares what Bruyneel thinks. He and his best mate Lance, the biggest fraud in the history of sport, have no place commenting on anything but how to lie and cheat!whit2pet02-11-2026
- Eeesh!Lozza02-11-2026
- bravo! a rider likes jonas needs motivation and he needs to believe in being able to reach goals. he - like anybody else in the world - doesn't believe that he can win the tdf with pogi present. and what's it worth for when pogi is not there? second class victory only. he has checked all three grand tours, so what is left if not retire? the classics! go for it, jonas!Ketterechts02-11-2026
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Tadej Pogačar on a Ronde van Vlaanderen recon today. 🪨 🎥: Peter Malaise
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