Tour de France ready - Tadej Pogacar ends training camp as he's named in Time Magazine list of most influential people in sport
Cycling
Tadej Pogacar bid farewell to Sierra Nevada last weekend as he ended his high altitude training camp. Entering the final phase of preparation for the 2026 Tour de France, the Slovenian is almost ready for the July 4th Grand Depart, but faces one key test first.
The UAE Team Emirates - XRG leader will be at the start line for the Tour de Suisse on June 17th as he looks to add the stage race to his burgeoning palmares and knows that he's put in the hard work in the Spanish high mountains in his bid to be in top shape for July.
Finishing the classics - which require a slightly heavier and more powerful physique - Pogacar entered a new cycle of the season as his emphasis shifted from short sharp efforts and terrain to endurance and long climbing efforts, meaning he would need to slim down for optimal performance in a grand tour.
According to reports, the 27-year-old wrapped up his training camp on Sunday, June 7th, giving him roughly ten days to recover and prepare for the Swiss WorldTour test. Pogacar will arrive as the overwhelming general classification favourite, while fellow stars Primoz Roglic and Mathieu van der Poel are also expected at the stage race.
Pogacar named one of the 100 most influential people in sport
Meanwhile, Pogacar has been named as one of the 100 most influential people in sport. Time Magazine included the four-time Tour de France winner amongst stars such as tennis giant Carlos Alcarez, football star Lionel Messi and golfing great Rory McIlroy.
The iconic magazine is known for its 'Person of the Year' award but also releases lists of influential people each year, for the first time this year it included the sporting world, where Pogačar was the only cyclist to make the list.
"A four-time champion of the Tour de France—including the last two editions of the world’s premier cycling event—Tadej Pogačar, 27, can win anywhere on two wheels: Grand Tours, one-week stage races, one-day classics, world-championship road races, and individual time trials. He can win across cobble or gravel and is a master uphill climber," the magazine's description reads.
Tadej Pogacar's top achievements
| Total wins | 117 |
| Tour de France | 4x GC wins, 21x stage wins |
| Giro d'Italia | 1x GC win, 6x stage wins |
| Monuments | 13x wins |
| World Championships | 2x wins |
| WorldTour stage races | 10x GC wins |
Pogacar can add a fifth Tour crown, his third in a row, next month but faces stiff competition in France in the form of an old rival and an emerging superstar.
With Jonas Vingegaard recently winning the Giro d'Italia and a debuting Paul Seixas emerging as a possible challenger to the Slovenian's dominance, fans are hoping to witness a general classification battle this summer.
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- Who cares what Bruyneel thinks. He and his best mate Lance, the biggest fraud in the history of sport, have no place commenting on anything but how to lie and cheat!whit2pet02-11-2026
- Eeesh!Lozza02-11-2026
- bravo! a rider likes jonas needs motivation and he needs to believe in being able to reach goals. he - like anybody else in the world - doesn't believe that he can win the tdf with pogi present. and what's it worth for when pogi is not there? second class victory only. he has checked all three grand tours, so what is left if not retire? the classics! go for it, jonas!Ketterechts02-11-2026
- i am sure that under the pretext of medical examination a lot worse has happened when they were under.abstractengineer02-11-2026
- dude, Lemond never even was in the same race as Armstrong. He throws all these aspersions on other American riders who might usurp his throne as the greatest ever American racer. He doesn't say a single thing about (foreign) dopers who he actually raced against. Biggest douchebag move ever. I used to revere that guy, now I despise him. His actions are so weird.fatsupermodel02-11-2026
- This is just stupid, You do what you are good at not what you are weak at. He has no results to speak of when he participated. Even Froome, Conatdor had very little. With Pogi there he wont win none of the classics. he is already 30+ with a few years left at the top. It takes years to get good at classics. Is that really worth the effort???abstractengineer02-11-2026
- Sure, little fella.awp02-11-2026
- You'll be the ongoing joke of 2027 with anything you post here!frieders302-11-2026
- Awwww your inside information must be from PogiFanGirl. You two daughters of different mothers?frieders302-11-2026
- Hey PogIFanGirl...wipe that cream from your lips! You're ever loving drooling and whatever you have for Tadej has your brain fried!frieders302-11-2026
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