Tour de France champion Pogačar clarifies suggestions that he could end his career ahead of schedule in 2028.
Tadej Pogacar on the sign on podium at Il Lombardia in 2025 during Il Lombardia 2025 (Photo: Tommaso Berardi/NurPhoto)
Published November 22, 2025 10:16AM
With Remco Evenepoel transferring to the big budget Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe team and having much more clout behind him, there is every chance that his performances could reach a higher level in 2026 and beyond.
That’s a prospect that four-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogačar admits is concerning
“The change could be good for Remco. He went from one super team to another,” Pogačar told Sporza in an interview published Friday.
Evenepoel competed for many seasons with the Soudal Quick-Step setup, but that team lacked the kind of high-level support that is available to Pogačar at UAE Emirates-XRG and to Jonas Vingegaard at Visma-Lease a Bike.
Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe has a far bigger budget, which will give Evenepoel stronger support riders, as well as more experienced staff. The benefits will include the use of the Red Bull Performance Center, as well as revolutionary technology such as the laser and helium setup at the Catesby Tunnel in England.
These things all improve the chances of Evenepoel reaching a new level, which Pogačar admits is frightening.
“It will be interesting to see if he can take another step. I hope not, because I already find him quite strong and dominant,” he said.
“It scares me to think he might get even better. Although I think he will do well. The whole world will follow his upcoming moves with great interest.”
Pogačar offers thoughts on the meaning of life
Tadej Pogačar and Remco Evenepoel at the start of Il Lombardia 2025 (Photo: Tommaso Berardi/NurPhoto)
Evenepoel is a much stronger time trialist than Pogačar, but the latter has the edge on him in the mountains. However the Slovenian is now 27, while Evenepoel is 16 months younger.
With riders typically peaking around 27 or 28, that suggests the Belgian rider should keep improving even after Pogačar hits his own physiological plateau.
Indeed the Tour champion acknowledges that he might already be at his high point. He’ll keep working hard of course, searching for improvements, but he’s not only concerned about performance.
“Maybe I can’t do better in terms of results on the bike, but I can in daily life,” he said. “The meaning of life is to be happy and to do good for others. So I want to find a good balance.”
Still, he has big targets he wants to achieve before he entertains the possibility of finishing his career. The Tour de France is one, of course.
And so too the two monuments he has yet to win.
“I would like to compete for victories in Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix again,” he said. “Winning such a classic is much bigger than going there thinking that you might win. Every journalist makes those races my big goals. But I just want to do my best.”
What about suggestions of retirement in 2028?
Tadej Pogačar dominated Il Lombardia and raced to a record-equaling fifth win (Photo: Silvia Colombo/NurPhoto)
The off season is still continuing, with riders using this time to rest and recharge before fully applying themselves again. Pogačar is back training and confirms he has got some good sessions in, but it will take time before he and others get into strong racing shape.
Still, the time off has given him a mental reset. He suggested during the Tour that an earlier than expected retirement might be on the cards, floating the possibility of hanging up his wheels after the Los Angeles Olympics.
However it seems time away from racing has refreshed his mental batteries plus his enthusiasm for the sport.
“I never considered leaving at the end of 2028,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “I signed the contract until 2030 and, unless something crazy happens, of course I will respect it. I would never have otherwise signed keeping that date in mind.
“Every year the team improves and I feel more and more in a family. I don’t see myself anywhere else, and if I want to race beyond 2030 it’s very likely that it’s always with the UAE.
“But there’s still a long way to go: right now I’m relaxed, I’m having fun, there are no problems.”
At least five more years of Pogačar performances? That may terrify his rivals, but will be music to the ears of his fans.