“Sometimes I would lock myself in a room and not see anyone” – Tadej Pogacar opens up on emotional comedown after fifth Tour de France victory
CyclingSaturday, 01 August 2026 at 15:30
Tadej Pogacar has admitted that the days immediately after the Tour de France can leave him exhausted, emotionally drained and sometimes wanting to shut himself away from everyone.
The Slovenian returned home after claiming a fifth yellow jersey, but the transition from almost two months of preparation and racing back to everyday life has not been straightforward.
Speaking ahead of his three-day Pogi Challenge event in Komenda, Pogacar described sharp fluctuations in his energy during the first week after the Tour.
“The first few days pass very quickly, especially when the Pogi Challenge is already waiting for you at the end of the first week,” Pogacar told Siol. “Urska left for the women’s Tour, and then the obligatory dinner in Paris ran late as well. During those first few days, you are therefore quite tired and your energy levels fluctuate.”
“Sometimes I would lock myself in a room”
Pogacar spent a month racing in France after an extended period of training camps and tightly controlled preparation.
Some days after returning home, he wants company. On others, even seeing people feels like too much. “Sometimes I would lock myself in a room and not see anyone, while on other occasions socialising really suits you,” he said. “Those fluctuations mainly happen during the first week, and then things slowly start moving again. Other riders returning from the Tour say similar things.”
Pogacar won five stages during the 2026 Tour and secured the fifth overall victory of his career, further strengthening his place among the most successful riders in the history of the race.
The routine that carries riders through July disappears almost immediately after Paris. “You spend a month in France, going full gas every day, and before that you have already spent another month or more at training camps,” Pogacar said. “When you come home, it is therefore quite a shock.”
Pogacar celebrates his 5th Tour win with teammate Isaac del Toro
A week without training targets
Even without the commitments surrounding the Pogi Challenge, Pogacar would not have rushed back into a rigid training programme.
“I would not think too much about training or nutrition,” he said. “After the Tour, you have to switch off and reset. You need at least a week to get your feet back on the ground.”
That first week still includes time on the bike, but without the numbers, dietary targets and recovery schedules that shape the build-up to the Tour.
Pogacar returned to Komenda for a weekend of racing, family activities and events involving several of his WorldTour rivals. The programme is considerably more relaxed than the month he has just completed in France, even if a completely quiet return home remains out of reach.
The yellow jerseys, stage victories and celebrations arrived immediately. Feeling normal again takes longer.
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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- Agree, Decathlon want him to sign an extension so they will agree to anything he wants. But it was stupid to do the TDF , the Giro/Vuelta was better. his year anyway the top 2 could not be avoided but finishing on the podium is a bigger morale boost than top5/10.abstractengineer01-08-2026
- Carapaz needs to go to the Vuelta, he could win it with his current form as long as Tadej doesn't show up on the start line.awp01-08-2026
- What Seixas learned is that if he keeps developing he will win the Tour at some point. He has never ridden a GT before, this is valuable information, he now knows he can do it.awp01-08-2026
- IDT could win a Giro if they put a good team around him. As we saw at the TDF and the Giro last year...he isn't great yet as the race gets longer. Seems like around the middle of the 2nd week or after the 2nd rest day he isn't going as good as he starts. Which is fixable I think. But, for now I think he will need some teammates who have experience in 3 week races to help after he starts to get a little "off".md197501-08-2026
- Look at the management. How many changes haa there been in the last 3 years??? Thomas briliant rider but what did he do with the team at the TDF. All that money spent on an unproven rider as a team leader who followed wheels in the TDF last year but has not won anything or really been a team leader🤔🤔🤔paultryan200201-08-2026
- Breaking the KOM, well that's certainly a tough ask
Rafionain-Glas01-08-2026 - García Cortina: "I didn't want to finish my career without trying to be part of one of the best teams in the world" Unzuè: 😠 😡 👿Rafionain-Glas01-08-2026
- He's doing the right thing. UAE will hire Seixas as their post-Pog leader if they can get him. Good to see Del Toro is being well advised.Renz01-08-2026
- Del Toro would be the outright leader at any team other than UAE and possibly Visma, Red Bullmobk01-08-2026
- That ending was bonkersmij01-08-2026
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