Tadej Pogacar has signed one of the best seasons in the history of cycling after winning the Tour de France, Strade Bianche, three monuments (Flanders, Liège and Lombardia), the World and European Championships and more. The UAE Team Emirates – XRG leader seems to have no rival and there are only three big races that for different reasons he still ‘must’ conquer: Milano – Sanremo, Paris-Roubaix and the Vuelta a España.In an interview in Abu Dhabi with Marca, the Slovenian admitted that he was not perfect in 2025. “I would give it a 9, but there is always room for improvement in every aspect of your life. I think I can get better at certain things, on and off the bike. It can be better.” It’s hard to imagine the Slovenian has aspects where he can still improve, but in a sport as complex as cycling, that is always possible.
“There were many beautiful moments. There were a lot of victories with different teammates, in different teams, with the national team, in World or European Championships, in the Tour de France, in all the Monuments I participated in… Every race has a different story and different emotions, so I can’t choose a favorite. I have too many nice memories.”
Effectively, Pogacar had an almost spotless season, with illnesses and injuries being absent once again and allowing for more development, with UAE growing in terms of support for him, and Pogacar simply delivering on all terrains.
He attempted to win Milano-Sanremo and made his debut at Paris-Roubaix, finishing third and second respectively but having the winning tactics understood and dialed down. In 2026 those should be his main goals in the spring, and victories that would have him go even deeper into cycling’s history books.Calendar, challenges and objectives
“I like a challenge and every year I try to change the program a little bit. But now I think I’ve become quite limited in what I can race. And every year there’s the Tour de France, which is the big goal of the team and myself. But yes, I like to try new things and, in the next few years, I don’t want to finish my career without having tried everything else,” he says. “I want to try a lot of new things.”
Cyclocross could be on his potential adventure list for the future certainly, having experience in the past, friends who race in the discipline and even the potential for it to be an Olympic Sport by 2030. Pogacar was also keen on racing the Gravel World Championships this year – which were to take place the day after he ended his season at Il Lombardia – before the location was changed from Nice (close to his home in Monaco) to South Limburg in the Netherlands.
For 2026 there is no major thinking, the outline of his calendar his simple, and he has two big clear dates scheduled for the spring: “I think going to the Tour again. It’s pretty obvious: it’s the biggest race of all. But I also want to express myself in the classics, show if I can improve in the one-day races compared to this year or last year. San Remo and Roubaix are two races that I’m very motivated to try again and fight for the victory.”
La Vuelta was mentioned too, the one Grand Tour that is missing from his palmarès and an obvious goal to have at some point in the future. But he does not feel pressure to take that win in Spain. “If I finished my career today, I’d be pretty happy even if I didn’t win La Vuelta.”