“You’re already tired after riding one race, imagine having to complete almost 20 in a row" - Pogacar, after well deserved pause, plots winning return in Quebec before Worlds

Tadej Pogacar will return to racing on Friday at the GP Québec, his first outing since sealing a fourth Tour de France title in July. The Slovenian has spent the past weeks away from the peloton, using the time to recover from a demanding season that included a full spring classics campaign and the Dauphiné before dominating the Tour. Now, with the World Championships in Rwanda on the horizon, Pogacar begins the final phase of a year that has already placed him firmly among the greats of the sport.

The Canadian races in Québec and Montréal will serve as preparation for his world title defence later this month. He also has his eye on the time trial rainbow jersey, a crown held for the past two years by Remco Evenepoel. Pogacar’s return is not just about testing his legs but about building form at the right moment, with his main focus clear: the world championships.

After his triumph in France, the UAE Team Emirates leader admitted the toll of such an intense schedule. “But that’s normal,” he told Sporza. “You’re already tired after riding one race, imagine having to complete almost 20 in a row.”

He recognised that a pause was overdue. “Everyone needs to rest their head sometimes. Especially in the world of sports, where athletes constantly have to perform at the highest level and under the greatest pressure. After the Tour, I took the time to do that.”

In 2025, Pogacar packed his calendar heavily. He raced the full set of classics in spring, reigniting his rivalry with Mathieu van der Poel before heading to the Dauphiné and then the Tour. Breaks were short, and recovery was limited. The rider himself admitted that skipping an altitude camp in favour of training at home was intentional. “I’m pretty happy with how my summer went. The end of the season always has its ups and downs, but I’m happy to be here. I took a break after the Tour, followed Urška for her races, and got in some good training at home. I couldn’t squeeze another big training block at altitude into my summer.”

Looking ahead to Canada, Pogacar accepts the spotlight that comes with being favourite. “We have a strong team here, and I’ll be happy if I can help us win. In any way, I’m definitely going for it, but it wouldn’t be a disaster for me if I didn’t win, no.”

The Canadian one-day races also bring together a familiar cast. Among them is Wout van Aert, who dropped Pogacar on Montmartre in Paris earlier this year. Pogacar hinted at the rivalry: “Will we get a rematch here? Wout is here, so he’ll be good. We’ll see how it goes.”

His main target, though, remains Rwanda. “Of course, I want to peak at the World Championships. That’s the main goal for this final stretch of the season. I also want to use these races as good training and hope I’ll be ready.”

The time trial offers a new challenge for the Slovenian to take on. It is one of the few major prizes missing from Pogacar’s collection, and it means going head-to-head with Evenepoel. “Do I really want to challenge Remco? Of course, that’s the goal,” Pogacar admitted.

He knows the scale of the task. “I want to put him and the other strong specialists to the test. The course should suit me, although I’ll need a very good day. I’ve always been a fan of the discipline and have been on my time trial bike more than usual this time. I’m going there to prove myself the best that day.”