“When crashes happen, there is no space for emotions” – Pogacar’s mechanic on chaos, calmness and unfinished goals

“When crashes happen, there is no space for emotions.” For Bostjan Kavcnik, the sentence is not philosophical. It is practical. In professional cycling, crashes strip the sport back to instinct, coordination and speed. And it is in those moments, he believes, that Tadej Pogacar’s character is most clearly revealed.

“Crashes are part of cycling,” the world champion's mechanic said in conversation with Siol. “When they happen, there is no space for emotions. Mechanics are there to intervene immediately and resolve the situation as quickly as possible.”

From the outside, Pogacar’s composure often goes unnoticed. Inside the team car, it is unmistakable.

When Pogacar crashed at Strade Bianche earlier this season, the images on television looked dramatic. Dust, speed and a sudden loss of control. From close range, the picture was more nuanced. “First, it should be said that he crashed in a relatively good way, even if that sounds strange,” Kavcnik said.

Luck played a role.“He was lucky. There was no curb, no pavement, no drop,” he explained. “He slid and ended up in bushes.”

The distinction matters. For mechanics and sports directors, the difference between a slide and an impact can decide whether a rider continues or whether a season is altered.

Kavcnik and the UAE Team Emirates - XRG staff were not immediately behind Pogacar when the crash happened. “First comes the commissaire car, then the neutral service, sometimes the doctor,” he said. “Only then do we come.”

Until the convoy is allowed to stop, there is nothing a mechanic can do. “The procedure is clear,” Kavcnik said. “You wait until the car stops and only then react.”

In those moments, coordination is everything. “The better coordinated the driver, sports director and mechanic are, the faster and more precise the intervention,” Kavcnik said.

What stands out to him is Pogacar’s behaviour once help arrives. “If I think of all the riders I have worked with at UAE, I can say without exaggeration that he is among the calmest,” he said.

Kavcnik has seen the opposite too. “I saw Cavendish throw his bike in anger at the Tour of Slovenia,” he recalled. “Bernhard Eisel tried to calm him down, but it did not help.”

Those reactions, he believes, say a lot about personality. “Moments like that reveal a lot about a person’s character,” Kavcnik said.

Pogacar reacts differently. “In such moments it is crucial to remain level headed and to know that you have someone beside you who will do everything necessary for you,” he said.

That calm was tested far more severely at Liege in 2023, when Pogacar crashed and injured his wrist in an incident caused by a rider ahead suffering a sudden puncture. “That was a completely different crash,” Kavcnik said. “At Strade Bianche he made a mistake himself. At Liege it was an accident.”

The memory remains vivid. “I still remember the moment he was lying on the ground, catching his breath,” he said. “You could already see from his face that the impact was heavy.”

Despite the pain, Pogacar tried to continue. “He got back on the bike,” Kavcnik said. “He changed helmets because the first one was cracked, took the spare bike and rode for another kilometre.”

Only then did reality catch up. “He had to admit that it would not work,” Kavcnik said.

Even as his own race was ending, Pogacar’s focus stayed with the team. “Before they took him away, he told the guys over the radio to continue the race and to follow Remco,” Kavcnik said.

For the mechanic, it was another example of instinct overriding emotion.

Kavcnik believes that Pogacar’s calm is closely linked to trust in those around him. “That sense of security, that feeling that you can completely trust the mechanic beside you in a critical moment, strongly influences who you are as a competitor,” he said.

When rider and mechanic function as one, panic has less space to grow. “If rider and mechanic are compatible and function as one, then things simply work,” Kavcnik said.

Despite the crashes and the accumulated success, Kavcnik does not believe Pogacar is anywhere near slowing down. “I think Tadej is driven above all by the races he has not yet won,” he said.

Two Monuments sit firmly at the top of that list. “Milano Sanremo and Roubaix,” Kavcnik said. “Those two bother him the most.”

There is also one Grand Tour missing. “And of course the Vuelta,” he added.

Retirement, in his view, is not a current concern. “As long as he still has that fire, he does not think about retirement,” Kavcnik said.

For now, Pogacar arrives at races with the same mindset. “On principle, he comes to every race with the goal of winning,” Kavcnik said.

And when things go wrong, he does not waste energy on emotion. “When crashes happen,” Kavcnik repeated, “there is no space for emotions.”