"Not the best preparation for the Tour de France... If I were the UAE team, I would be afraid" - Alberto Contador raises concerns for Tadej Pogacar long-term
Cycling
Tadej Pogacar proved once again on Sunday at Liege-Bastogne-Liege that he remains the man to beat in the World Tour peloton. Obliterating all his so-called rivals, the Slovenian put in a now typically impressive display to solo to the win at the Ardennes Monument. Whilst undoubtedly impressed by Pogacar's performance, Alberto Contador does have some concerns.
The root of Contador's concern for Pogacar is burnout. After all, the UAE Team Emirates - XRG has been very active this season, racing all four of the Monuments to date, plus other Classics such as La Fleche Wallonne, the Amstel Gold Race and Strade Bianche, and the UAE Tour back in February. In many of these race, Pogacar has also spent a long time riding solo after launching long-range attacks. According to Contador, these efforts might catch up with the world champion sometime soon.
"I think that from the inside, the people around him must be starting to tell him: 'Hey Tadej, you don't have to start 70-80km from the finish line. We're going to be effective and we're going to save and economise on strength,'" Contador tells Eurosport following Liege-Bastogne-Liege. "I'm convinced that this preparation that Tadej is carrying out, with this calendar that would be almost two months of competition, with races that are skipped but [ones that are] very demanding, is not the best preparation for the Tour de France."
Compared to the likes of Jonas Vingegaard, Primoz Roglic and even Remco Evenepoel, Pogacar has been a much more regular figure so far in 2025. And although this hasn't stopped him bringing in incredible success, Contador doesn't think the UAE Team Emirates - XRG leader will be able to stay at such a high level for ever. "Let's see how the fatigue of a calendar… Not only in the race, but also when you are at home taking care of everything to the millimetre for races of almost 300km," comments the Spanish icon. "If I were the UAE team, I would be afraid of the efforts, the continuous efforts."
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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