"That's not good for me and the others" - Tadej Pogacar on European championships schedule, Vingegaard and Evenepoel
Cycling
Tadej Pogacar has made the trip from Rwanda to France, even if not as fast as Remco Evenepoel, and is now ready to try and finally conquer the European Championships' road race for the first time in his career. It is a viable goal, but he has to go through amongst others Evenepoel and Jonas Vingegaard who makes a return to racing after winning the Vuelta a España.
In Drôme-Ardèche, Pogacar is joined by his partner Urska Zigart as was the case at the World Championships. "It's nice that we can travel together from race to race during this period. If I could decide, I would always do it this way, because I appreciate moments like these," the rainbow jersey said in a press conference, with words collected by Sporza.
However, after the physical and psychological fatigue he felt at the Tour de France, he has returned to his best level and is showing is best legs again. The solo win in Kigali was more than proof that we're having the best Pogacar. "I feel pretty good, especially now that we're so far into the season and after a long journey". However, he knows that he can't replicate what he's done in Zurich and Rwanda over the past two years here in France with this course.
"These are very difficult climbs. Compared to the World Championships, this is also a much shorter race and much more explosive," he aknowledges "That wasn't the case in Rwanda, even though that course was designed that way. But here the climbs aren't too long and steep. It's going to be punchy. We'll see more riders fighting for the win than at the World Championships. It's going to be a fantastic race."
Thoughts on Vingegaard and Evenepoel
Pogacar will face Remco Evenepoel once again, the man who overtook him in the time-trial worlds and came closest to catching him in the road race. "He showed how good he is on Sunday. He finished second after two bike changes. Remco is really well prepared, motivated, and looks super strong. He flew in the time trial, you know. He's in great shape, and mentally he's always prepared and always eager to win such races. He'll be very good."
Alongside the Belgian will be Jonas Vingegaard, a wildcard in this racing taking into consideration that his form is relatively unknown, as he hasn't raced for three weeks since winning the Vuelta. "It's been a long time since we've raced against each other in a one-day race. But the fact that he's here means he'll be very good."
"This race is about 70 kilometers shorter, and that's something completely different. To break away, you need a lot of power. Maybe, if there's a chance. I don't think so. But never say never." However Slovenia is indeed more depleted here than at the worlds, without Primoz Roglic, and other teams may want to take advantage of that.
But Pogacar doesn't want to waste an opportunity to conquer one of the biggest titles that he doesn't yet have in his palmarès: "The last few editions didn't suit me that well. Four years ago, it was more of a climber's thing, and even there a fast guy (Sonny Colbrelli, ed.) won. The European Championships are always difficult".
Asked about the race's placement in the calendar, he admitted that he was not quite happy with it, making it a very tight schedule between big goals - adding to his upcoming presence at Tre Valli Varesine, confirmed today by UAE Team Emirates - XRG.
"I can't just randomly move a date forward now. But I would consider putting the European Championships before the end of the season. And certainly not if there are already three races on that day (the Coppa Agostoni and Cro Race although Pogacar refers to Giro dell'Emilia, ed.). You can't organize a fourth race then, because then you won't have any riders."
"That's not good for me and the others," he adds. "Because at the moment you also have the Giro dell'Emilia and the Cro Race. So many riders are forced to choose. Our calendar is never perfect, but if you ask me, I would change a lot".
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- I get the point totally. We live in the snowflake society where some riders forget they are getting paid to ride and get results. When they have a few issues they try to look outside of the real issue instead of themselves. It odd so many of the team are making no complaints and getting on with their job. If you do not like what you do find another job simples. Tough love as my mum would say.paultryan200207-11-2026
- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
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