This time last year, Tadej Pogačar walked out of an unspecified Italian airport, clambered into a taxi, and asked the driver to take him to the Giro d’Italia. “Andiamo,” he winked and smiled, confirming his participation in the 2024 Corsa Rosa. The hope, especially among local press gathered in Benidorm a year on, was that Pogačar would repeat the act, but with a key modification: the 2025 destination would be the Vuelta a España, and the command would be “vamos”.
Not to be. We have to wait. “Depending on the presentation of the Vuelta [on December 19], that will determine the second Grand Tour,” UAE Team Emirates’ sports manager Matxin Fernandez told assembled press on the Costa Blanca at the team’s annual winter media day. An hour later, Pogačar didn’t give any further indication of what’s more likely, only to say that adding a maillot rojo to his wardrobe(s) of jerseys remains a key ambition. “I did the Giro-Tour, and it’d be nice to do the Tour-Vuelta, or the Giro-Vuelta,” the Slovenian said, “but the Tour is the most important one, the biggest race. We found out this year two Grand Tours are really nice if you have good shape.”
While a decision is on ice regarding the Giro or Vuelta – and UAE gave no hint as to when a final call will be made – Pogačar and his team are clear on one thing: after Strade Bianche and Milano-Sanremo, he’ll return to the cobbles after a year’s hiatus – E3 Harelbeke, Gent-Wevelgem and the Tour of Flanders all back on his calendar. “I really like to do the Classics and last year [in 2023] I had a great Classics season until I crashed,” he said, referencing a crushing win at Flanders before breaking his wrist a few weeks later at Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
Image: Zac Williams/SWpix.com
“This year was a bit different but I want to go back to the cobbles at least a few more times in my career. It doesn’t matter if I have the world championship stripes or not, I just like to be there.” Paris-Roubaix, however, one of only two Monuments (Sanremo being the other) he’s not yet chalked off, will more than likely remain a distant goal. “It’s not the final decision, maybe I can still do Roubaix, but I don’t think it suits me the very best,” he said. “I can say that there’s still time to go to Roubaix another time, and not next year.”
Of course there’s time, he’s 26. The assumption is that he’ll continue to dominate the sport for the best…