"We have thirty riders in the team. They deserve a chance too" - Tadej Pogacar again shuns idea of winning 3 Grand Tours in a season
Cycling
Tadej Pogacar's 2024 saw him become the first rider since the late great Marco Pantani to complete a Giro d'Italia - Tour de France double in the same season. Despite much speculation though, the potential lure of a historic Grand Tour hat-trick didn't prove enough to bring the Slovenian to the Vuelta a Espana as well.
Despite this year potentially being the best chance Pogacar could ever wish for to make cycling history and claim all three Grand Tours in the same calendar year, those rumours and speculation of the UAE Team Emirates leader attempting to do so in the future continue to do the rounds. At the 2024 Velo d'Or ceremony on Friday, where Pogacar took home the Eddy Merckx Trophy and the Velo d'Or award itself, he was again asked about the prospect of a Grand Tour triple-header.
“No, I don’t really think about that. To ride three Grand Tours in one year is already something special, to then go for the victories is even harder," assesses Pogacar when quizzed by award ceremony organisers L'Equipe. "Besides, we have thirty riders in the team. They deserve a chance too, so I’ll only do two for now.”
Indeed, UAE Team Emirates have no shortage of options either as the likes of Juan Ayuso, João Almeida, Adam Yates, Pavel Sivakov, Jay Vine, Brandon McNulty, Marc Soler and more up and coming talents such as Isaac del Toro and Pablo Torres could all arguably merit Grand Tour leadership at different World Tour teams.
Understandably though, Pogacar remains the main man at UAE Team Emirates heading into 2025. His schedule is not fully clear just yet. Will he combine Giro d'Italia and Tour de France again? Will he return to the Vuelta a Espana? There are plenty of question marks, but one thing not up for debate, is that wherever Pogacar shows up, he will lead the team and more than likely be pre-race favourite.
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TADEJ POGAČAR VELO D’OR 2024 🏆
— Lukáš Ronald Lukács (@lucasaganronald) December 6, 2024
We all knew it will happen, but it still has to feel good for Tadej to get the best cyclist award in the world. #VelodOr
pic.twitter.com/DwYxQoq3b8
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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- big rival … ridiculous.Ketterechts07-11-2026
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MarkFour07-11-2026 - This is a really interesting idea, which, if well prepared could even be very successful. Very little money needs to be involved for a first season and any success could lead to rapid interest from sponsors.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
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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
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- 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
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