“The words ‘professional contract’ have actually already been mentioned...” – 31-year-old German amateur poised to reap rewards of beating Tadej Pogacar
CyclingThursday, 06 August 2026 at 12:00
Frederik Niessen travelled to Slovenia after completing a night shift at a Berlin hospital. By the end of the following morning, he had beaten Tadej Pogacar to the summit of Krvavec and attracted enquiries about a possible professional cycling contract.
The 31-year-old internal medicine doctor finished first at the Pogi Challenge, held one week after Pogacar secured his fifth Tour de France victory. More than 1,200 amateurs received a seven-minute advantage before the world champion began chasing them up the 15-kilometre climb near Komenda. Seven riders reached the summit before Pogacar, led by Niessen in 45 minutes and 49 seconds.
Pogacar was delayed among the traffic at the bottom and still produced the fastest net time, approximately three minutes quicker than Niessen. The German nevertheless won the event under its handicap format and has since received approaches from companies and people connected to professional teams.
“It is completely crazy,” Niessen told the Süddeutsche Zeitung. “Suddenly, companies are contacting me asking whether they can give me sports equipment. The words ‘professional contract’ have actually already been mentioned as well.”
A night shift before taking on Pogacar
Niessen has ridden road bikes for 15 years and increasingly concentrated on climbing, but cycling has remained alongside his medical career rather than replacing it.
His journey to the Pogi Challenge began only after he had finished work. “I still had a night shift at the hospital, so I could only travel there the evening before,” he said. “I quickly collected my race number and then went to the event the next morning.”
The climb to Krvavec included 1,177 metres of elevation gain. Niessen finished one minute and 39 seconds ahead of Italian Andrea Calza, with Miran Kovacic completing the first three.
Lorenzo Zumerle, Mitja Dovnik, Alexander Brandner and former WorldTour rider Ryan Gibbons also stayed ahead of Pogacar on elapsed time. The Slovenian crossed eighth after working his way through the amateur field.
Niessen was already an accomplished amateur climber before arriving in Slovenia. Earlier in 2026, he won the Glocknerkonig Ultra on the Grossglockner, one of Europe’s established mountain cycling events. Victory at Pogacar’s own challenge brought a considerably larger audience. His name travelled alongside footage and reports of the Tour winner chasing more than 1,000 riders up the mountain where he developed as a young cyclist.
Professional teams make contact
Niessen has not identified who has approached him or how advanced any discussions may be. “I do not want to name names at the moment,” he said. “But yes, I have already spoken to a few people. Nothing has been finalised yet.”
A move into the professional ranks at 31 would take him outside cycling’s usual development pathway. Most riders now reach that level through junior, under-23 and development programmes, often signing their first professional deals before their early twenties.
Niessen has instead spent his adult years training around hospital work and amateur competition. Temporarily leaving medicine for cycling was already an ambition before his result in Slovenia. “Hanging up the doctor’s coat temporarily has actually been my goal for quite a long time,” he said.
No contract has yet been agreed, and Niessen has not named the level at which the discussions are taking place. For now, his Pogi Challenge victory has brought equipment offers, new contacts and the first serious conversations about replacing hospital shifts with professional racing.
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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- it is reported on other sites that he signed his extension with UAEmij06-08-2026
- Why are we recycling old podcast takes from many months ago and Pogacar already said UAE is aboard with him on the OL plans. This is just lazy journalism if even that.miguel06-08-2026
- he wants clarity on the team's plans. what clarity does the team have on his plans to remain a hard-worker once he gets a longer contract?mij06-08-2026
- not only do they deserve it, the racing is fantastic. yesterday's stage was amazing.mij06-08-2026
- I agree, Remco did have bigger power output in the lower and punchier mountains, but when they would have got into the high mountains, then the picture would be turned around. I still think Jonas is a better high mountain climber and would have beaten Remco on Alp d'Huez. Maybe we will never know, I have the feeling Jonas will retire. He has nothing more to prove: He won all three GT, TdF twice... he won all the major one week stage races... he can't seem to win one day races... he crashed out on a few occasions and hurt himself pretty badly... him staying and beating other cyclists that are not Pogačar is BS... he knows he will never again beat Pogi, regardless what he says... SO??? Retirement !!!PogiSloFans06-08-2026
- I can't imagine saying "no" to a countryman making this request to represent your company to help the team win.mij06-08-2026
- Learning isn't just about acquiring new skills—it’s a direct investment in your future. Every time you dedicate time to grow, you reaffirm your commitment to becoming a better version of yourself and prepare for bigger opportunities ahead.raulmejia06-08-2026
- I get the impression that VIngegaard doesnt actually like to race bike-races so I dont think he will.miguel06-08-2026
- Look, Pogi is my compatriot and I know a little more about him then ordinary commentators. I have inside information. Pogi's estimated VO2 max is around 90 to 96 mL/kg/min, some are saying amost up to 100, which places him among the highest ever suggested for an endurance athlete. However, it's not the single reason he dominates. His true advantage comes from a combination of: 1. An exceptionally high VO2 max. 2. The ability to ride at an unusually high percentage of it for long periods. 3. Outstanding cycling efficiency. 4. Rapid recovery. 5. Exceptional race intelligence. He knows exactly what's happening in each race, so on many occasions he changes the teams plans and tactics between the race and put's his domestiques in a different position. If that fales, he goes by himself and says "bye bye... see you in the douches." 6. My country of Slovenia is widely recognized as one of the top countries in the world for athletic success per capita. With a population of just around 2. million, we consistently rank near the very peak of global sporting achievements. Our sports stars are: Pogi (the G.O.A.T. of cycling), Primož Roglič (a former high profile professional cyclist that used to be a ski jumper), Luka Dončić (NBA star), Anže Kopitar (NHL star), Janja Garnbret (the greatest competitive sport climber of all time), Tina Maze (a legendary alpine skiing champion with multiple Olympic gold medals and WC), Domen Prevc (the best ski jumper in the world), Nika Prevc (Domen's sister, also the best female ski jumper in the world... 3 years in a row)... Need I say more !!!PogiSloFans06-08-2026
- > All in all, these estimates look so confusing. Maybe they aren’t that confusing. Once you account for bike weight and aerodynamics, it’s still possible that Pantani had to put in more effort than Pogačar, even though he climbed slower.averagecyclist06-08-2026
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