“To be such a good cyclist, you have to be a bit selfish... but he isn’t like that at all” – Tadej Pogacar’s UAE teammate reveals a side of Tour champion few get to see
CyclingThursday, 13 August 2026 at 17:00
Tadej Pogacar's dominance has inevitably made him the centre of attention at UAE Team Emirates – XRG, but Felix Grossschartner says that status is far less obvious inside the team than it appears from the outside.
The Austrian spent a month alongside Pogacar and his teammates at altitude before helping him secure a fifth Tour de France title in July. Having joined UAE in 2023 after several seasons with BORA – hansgrohe, the experienced Grand Tour rider and four-time Austrian time trial champion has now had several years to see how Pogacar operates away from the cameras as well as in the biggest races.
What stands out most to Grossschartner is how little Pogacar allows the team to revolve around him.
"To be such a good cyclist, you have to be a little bit selfish, but what impresses me most about him is that he isn't like that at all," Grossschartner told RTV Slovenia's Tour 202 podcast. "He puts the team first. Even at training camps, things don't revolve around him. He always wants things to be good for everyone."
"He isn't just the leader"
Pogacar entered the 2026 Tour chasing a fifth yellow jersey and ultimately joined Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain on the historic five-win mark. Grossschartner was part of the UAE squad supporting him throughout those three weeks, with Pogacar carrying the pressure that comes with being the dominant rider in the sport.
"He's somebody who wins a lot and has a lot of pressure on him, but at the same time he always wants the best for everyone," he continued. "You could see that at the Tour when he helped Isaac. He really is an exceptional person."
Asked to identify Pogacar's strongest quality as a leader, Grossschartner's answer was similarly straightforward: "That he isn't just the leader, but that the team is very important to him."
Isaac del Toro's Stage 2 victory was one example. Grossschartner picked the Mexican's win as one of his favourite memories from the Tour, not only because it came somewhat unexpectedly but because of Pogacar's reaction to seeing his teammate succeed.
"Seeing Tadej so happy when Isaac won" was among the moments Grossschartner remembered most fondly, before ultimately choosing the team's time together on the Champs-Elysees as the highlight.
Pogacar and Del Toro crossed the line together on stage 2 of the 2026 Tour de France
More than just teammates
The closeness Grossschartner describes extends beyond race tactics. UAE's Tour group had already spent a month together at altitude before arriving in Barcelona and, in his view, the relationship between the riders had developed beyond that of ordinary teammates.
"I'd say we're not just teammates, we're friends and we get on very well," he said. "You could see that at the Tour. If the team is successful, everything becomes even easier. Even when things are a little more stressful, we stick together. I had a good time. If we're already suffering on the bike, at least we can enjoy ourselves."
That feeling also shapes the way Grossschartner talks about the Tour itself. Asked to name his favourite race of the season, he picked the Tour de France over the Vuelta and pointed not only to the crowds but to the experience of being there alongside Pogacar.
"The Tour de France. I really like the Vuelta as well, but the Tour is the biggest race," he said. "You feel the passion of the fans there and they're incredible. There's also something special about being part of the team there with Tadej."
Coffee, EA Sports FC and life away from racing
Away from racing, coffee occupies plenty of their time. The riders bring their own equipment to training camps, discuss different beans and head out together for coffee rides on rest days. Grossschartner identified Adam Yates as probably the biggest coffee drinker in the group, while Pogacar has another less obvious speciality.
"Tadej is very good at latte art," he revealed.
Pogacar quiz for cycling experts
10 questions · ≈ 5 min · 115 players
to compete in the ranking.
There is also EA Sports FC, still referred to as FIFA in the interview, where Pogacar carries much the same reputation among his teammates. Asked who was the best player in the squad, Grossschartner's first answer was simply: "Tadej is pretty good."
When it was put to him that Pogacar therefore seems to be good at everything, Grossschartner did little to argue. "I think he's good at everything he tries. FIFA too."
Inside UAE, though, his lasting impression is not of a team orbiting around one superstar. Pogacar may command most of the attention outside it, but Grossschartner's account is of a leader who still makes a point of keeping his teammates at the centre of the group.
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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- montreal - no waymij13-08-2026
- These rankings are plain silly because one of these people is in the middle half of his career. Yes, Pogačar ranks as second best, but is he first? We can't know that yet, because Merckx's career has ended while Pogačar's is ongoing. What we can do is compare them at the same stage in their careers. Pogačar is in his 8th year (2019 to 2026) and it's incomplete, but we can at least start to compare it to where Merckx was at that career stage. At the end of his 8th year, Merckx had won 13 monuments, 7 grand tours, and 2 world championships. In the middle of his 8th year, Pogačar has won 13 monuments, 6 grand tours, and 2 world championships. Given that there are 1 monument, 1 grand tour, and 1 world championship race to go, and all three heavily favor Pogačar, he might be ahead of Merckx by the end of the year. (Did anyone ever predict that such a sentence could be written?!) To reach Merckx's career numbers, Pogačar needs 6 monuments, 5 grand tours, and a world championship. Those are roughly the career numbers of the man who is #9 on this list, Gino Bartali. What's crazy is that Pogačar might actually do this, and none of us would be surprised. But he has to do it, not just have the potential to do it. If he doesn't, would he end up at #1 on the list? Should he? I don't think so. Longevity matters, otherwise we wouldn't have #10 on this list, Valverde. Merckx is who got me into racing as a small kid, and watching Pogačar I sometimes feel the awe of a small kid, again. But, the numbers aren't there yet. Let's let his full career play out, shall we?RidesHills13-08-2026
- The adjective is too muchabstractengineer13-08-2026
- He was not going to be participating in 2026. What is under question is 2027+abstractengineer13-08-2026
- Simple Jonas crashed out early and Remco no balls gave upabstractengineer13-08-2026
- It wasn't his idea, and Sporza approached Urska's team, not UAE or Pog to see if it could work. If Pog didn't genuinely think Urska was great, it would not have worked.Hills3313-08-2026
- I think it is a carefully curated persona.. the sarcastic 'Pantani' nickname because they did'nt like him pulling, the existance of a UAE 'blacklist' of riders they don't like.. all sounds very lance-like. Even this stunt is patronising, 'haha im just her BF haha'souplesse13-08-2026
- Humility for the americans, why? They think they are the center of the world. Trump and MAGA hate us Europeans, they want to conquer Canada and Greenland, their friends and neighbours. I will never show humilty for them... NEVER!!!PogiSloFans13-08-2026
- I'm not American, but it's a pity you don't display a bit of the humility you claim your countrymen are renowned for!whit2pet13-08-2026
- MAGA Simmons??? You're MAGA also, aren't you? So why are you making fun of Simmons?PogiSloFans13-08-2026
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