"Sometimes it becomes a bit overwhelming" - Pogacar on fan proximity, becoming famous and heat training

Tadej Pogacar took the win on stage 1 of the Tour de Suisse with a solo attack throughout the final 70 kilometers of the stage. Having dominated the day and taken the yellow jersey, he has spent the hours following the race on media duties. In what was his first race in almost two months, the World Champion has discussed several topics from his professional and personal life.

In Switzerland, the men and women's route are very similar, featuring the same finales in what was a reformatting for the 2026 edition. Earlier in the day his partner Urska Zigart was on the move at the women's race, coincidentally attacking herself on the same roads that Pogacar would use for the same purpose.

“Urska was flying too, I watched the women’s race in the morning. I knew she made her move in the same place where I did, but once I was in the race, I forgot all about that," Pogacar shared in a press conference following the stage, as reported by IDLProCycling.

With the race having been previously split, it was an intermediate sprint that created a small group up front. Chaos ruled as UAE and Decathlon stopped their work at the head of the peloton, and with Brandon McNulty close to Pogacar, the gap was extended, the peloton was split... And in a matter of minutes the Slovenian went up the road by himself with only about a dozen riders within range of him.

At the Tour de Suisse and with no competition of a similar level uphill, Pogacar is racing without a plan. “I love training, but I also love racing," he admits. And for the sake of a relaxed approach to the Tour, he has opened up the race with a stage win that was expected, but in a way that no-one saw coming.

At the end of the day, enjoyment and breaking the monotony is important for a rider who has made winning his routine. "The best thing about racing is being with your team-mates and going all-out together. I think this was also one of the most enjoyable races I have ridden,”

It was a hot day in northern Italy, as the riders started and finished in the town of Sondrio. Over the course of the day the temperatures were close to 30 degrees, weather that is not too different from what the riders will find at the Tour. Whilst not the most comfortable, it is important to adapt to the heat in race situations, something he will be needing in July.

“Over the years I have become better at it. The Tour is always in summer and I live in the south of France (Monaco, ed.), so in summer it is always scorching hot there. In training it is even survival, and it is a matter of filling enough bottles beforehand. I enjoy it more now.”

He has also shown great form. The next few days will provide another hilly finale, a flat time trial and a high mountain stage - all of which he will want to test himself. The Slovenian knows that at this day and age and with a rival such like Jonas Vingegaard, he can't afford to arrive to the Tour without his best form - specially with the race immediately beginning with two stages where GC differences are expected.

“In the Tour de France you have to be there from day one, that was different in the past. Then you could peak in the third week, now the route is harder from the beginning. You often have to be in top form in the first few days".

Pogacar's popularity translated to every event that he is present in, and the Tour de Suisse is no exception. He was a crowd favourite on the opening day, and that's expected to be the case over the whole week.

“I never dreamed of becoming such a good cyclist, I only hoped that one day I could turn professional and ride the Tour. I never thought about being famous. That has advantages, but also a lot of disadvantages, especially on a personal level," he admits.

“Cycling is lucky to have the fans, who are very cool. Sometimes it becomes a bit overwhelming because everyone can get so close". Over the past year he has talked about how he was verbally insulted close to home by someone he asked to wait to take a picture; whilst after the 2025 Tour de France he also occasionally began training without the rainbow jersey - and even with an infamous jersey that had several signs to not ask for pictures.

"But generally we are happy with the way the sport is. But a race is not training for me. You do not leave home for a few hours on the bike and then come back.” Getting used to the routine, with podium celebrations, media duties and different routines than that of his teammates, is also part of being the best in the world. A different reality, with more responsibilities and added workload.

“It is 7pm now and I’m still here talking to you in my cycling shorts," he notes. "In a race you ride against 170 riders and go hard everywhere, in training you can choose one pace more. Then you stay safe; in a race you never know what will happen. You have to stay focused all the time, and that is stressful. It builds up.”