Carera surely doesn’t hold back while organizing the event with well over 100 guests. Various unique scenes such as Tadej Pogacar winning padel tournament or Maxim Van Gils trying his hand at karaoke are not rare at this ocassion. But Leyman points out that Carera doesn’t do it all just for money: “His passion for his job and his riders is also immense.”
Mini-Sports Gala
2025 was another fine vintage for Carera’s pack on and off the roads. Tadej Pogacar won the Tour, World and European Championships, as well as three Monuments, and together his clients combined for well over two-digit total amount of GrandTour stages.
Isaac del Toro’s rise in 2025 was crowned by a Giro d’Italia stage win wearing the Maglia Rosa
“He’s a flamboyant figure, well-liked, and he shows that he cares for others. A party like this is the perfect opportunity to really show off those successes,” highlights Sporza journalist Jonas Van De Veire. “You can think of the show as a crazy mini-version of the Sports Gala. There are playful moments in between, like Pogacar dancing or Van Gils trying his hand at karaoke. A gala evening with a strong Italian twist, in other words.”
Uijtdebroeks aims to beat Pogacar, at least in F1Cian Uijtdebroeks is certainly among the more quiet types who won’t fancy similar festivities, but even he looks forward to one part of the evening:
“I’m going to try and hide well, but the brand-new tournament with the Formula 1 simulators? That’s what I’m aiming for! That way I might just beat Tadej Pogacar,” Uijtdebroeks laughs loudly from Milan.
The 22-year-old Belgian is one of Carera’s best clients. For him, the agent already found a way to break out of a contract twice! While his move to Movistar ahead of 2026 was much less explosive, it’ll be all the more interesting to see how it works out next year. Either way, Carera will stand by his side.
“Yes, he’s already meant a lot to me,” Uijtdebroeks readily admits. “Carera is an emotional person who’s involved with the rider. He doesn’t feel like an external manager, but like a friend. I regularly receive a message before races. This way, he shows that it’s about much more than just finding the right team for his riders.”
Did Carera help Pogacar, or the other way?
The turn of events after Carera’s arrival to the sport was quite fast. Previously, many team managers would look at rider agents through fingers – after all they are trying to squeeze every last cent of their team’s budgets.
An evolution that José De Cauwer witnessed and sees unfolding before his very eyes: “We now live in a world where managers have their place. That took a long time to be accepted in cycling. Because team managers didn’t like men who wanted to drive up the prize money.”
But eventually, they came to acknowledge the Spaniard and others. With Tadej Pogacar under his wings, there wasn’t really any other options anyway.
“It starts with the men in his portfolio,” De Cauwer shares. “If you have a Pogacar, you’re also better yourself and can do more. Although he certainly manages to secure some great transfers. So I understand why the competition isn’t keen on him.”