“We’ll do everything in our power to get Tadej Pogacar” – Tour Down Under bosses given renewed hope of Aussie debut for world champion

The idea of Tadej Pogacar finally lining up in Australia has never been far from the surface at the Tour Down Under, but this week it gained a rare sense of momentum.

Not because of a startlist announcement or a calendar shift, but because someone from Pogacar’s inner circle is on the ground, watching the race unfold firsthand.

For organisers, that alone represents progress. Pogacar remains firmly focused on his long-term Tour de France ambitions, yet the presence of his long-time agent Alex Carera at the opening WorldTour event of the season has been taken as a meaningful step forward in a pursuit that has so far remained frustratingly out of reach.

Race director Stuart O'Grady admitted he “wasn’t really expecting it” when confirming Carera’s visit, but described it as “a really good indication” and “a positive indication” for the race’s longer-term ambitions, in quotes collected by the Canberra Times.

The Tour Down Under has been chasing Pogacar for several seasons, but the obstacle has rarely been interest. O'Grady revealed that discussions with UAE Team Emirates - XRG have previously come close to delivering a breakthrough, only for the Slovenian’s carefully managed Tour de France programme to take priority.

According to O'Grady, Pogacar had been “super-keen” in the past, with talks reaching an advanced stage. Ultimately, however, the lure of maintaining a proven schedule in a Tour de France year proved decisive. “They were so close to sending him,” O'Grady said, referencing conversations with team boss Mauro Gianetti at a WorldTour seminar in Geneva, before adding that the desire to protect Pogacar’s Tour ambitions had won out.

That context is crucial. This is not a case of Australia failing to convince, but of timing and priorities colliding with the demands placed on the sport’s most dominant rider.

Carera’s visit comes as the 2026 edition of the Tour Down Under plays out under intense conditions. Extreme heat has already forced organisers to adapt routes, underlining both the challenges and the unique character of racing in South Australia.

For O'Grady, that lived experience is exactly what makes the event difficult to sell remotely. “It’s hard to gauge what the Tour Down Under experience is until you’ve been here,” he explained, pointing to recent comments from Michal Kwiatkowski, who admitted he wondered why he had not raced there earlier in his career.

The pitch to Pogacar is not about prestige alone. O'Grady described the race as a “perfect training platform”, offering consistent conditions and a controlled environment at the very start of the season. That argument has long appealed to riders further along in their careers, and it is no coincidence that organisers increasingly frame Pogacar’s potential appearance as something that may come later rather than immediately.

O'Grady was careful not to frame Carera’s presence as a breakthrough moment, instead situating it within a longer timeline. He openly speculated that a future scenario, in which Pogacar has already secured a fifth Tour de France title, could finally open the door to an Australian debut.

“Who knows,” he said, suggesting that once that milestone is achieved, the conversation may shift. Until then, the strategy remains consistent. “All we can do is put our best proposal forward,” O'Grady added, making clear that the race will continue to position itself as an attractive option whenever the timing aligns.

For now, the Tour Down Under remains in wait-and-see mode. But with Pogacar’s representative walking the race, seeing its terrain, its crowds and its challenges up close, organisers feel they have at least moved the discussion out of the abstract. It is not a confirmation, nor even a promise, but in a pursuit that has often stalled before it truly began, it is enough to keep the hope alive.