Tadej Pogačar and Urška Žigart celebrated their remarkable 2024 seasons at a gala in Ljubljana, where the Slovenian duo were recognised as the top male and female cyclists in their home country. The gathering was an emotional return for Pogačar, who rarely finds himself back in Slovenia. “I am not often in Slovenia. It’s always a pleasure to come home and see family and friends. I love attending such events,” he told local broadcaster RTVSlo. Reflecting on his career trajectory, Pogačar expressed hope for even more success in 2025. “So far, each season has been better than the last. I hope the next one will be even better. I look forward to new challenges,” he added, noting his enthusiasm for testing himself in nature, which he credits as part of his enduring motivation.
Pogačar’s 2024 campaign saw him claim a rare ‘Triple Crown’—victories in the Giro d’Italia, the Tour de France, and the World Championship road race—a feat last accomplished by Stephen Roche in 1987. With 25 wins from 58 race days, he also clinched victories in Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Il Lombardia, solidifying his status as the season’s most successful rider.
Despite an astounding season, Pogačar has already set his sights on 2025. He suggested that Milan-San Remo, which has so far eluded his career palmarès, would be a prime target, along with his title defence at the World Championships in Rwanda. However, his precise racing programme remains undecided, with decisions to be finalised at UAE Team Emirates’ training camp in December. “I can’t reveal much about the program yet; we’ll talk about it in December or later. We’re quite flexible about my program. The UAE Tour is a suitable race to start with,” he explained to Ekipa.
Photo Credit: ASO-Charly LopezMeanwhile, in a recent interview with Eurosport, French rider Romain Bardet offered a candid perspective on the Slovenian’s commanding 2024 performances, saying that Pogačar’s dominance often left rivals feeling like they were competing in a different “weight category.” Bardet, who will retire in 2025, noted that he sometimes knew with certainty that Pogačar would win particular races, including Strade Bianche, the GP Montréal, and the World Championships. “I was utterly convinced that barring a mechanical incident, or something along those lines, it was already decided,” Bardet remarked.
Reflecting on Pogačar’s development over recent seasons, Bardet said he first sensed a shift in cycling’s generational landscape during a Pyrenean stage in the 2020 Tour de France. “It was the first day where I felt overhauled in the mountains,” Bardet remembered, highlighting the Slovenian’s impact as both a climber and overall stage racer. “I got the feeling that when they went for it, it was going really fast. I’ve experienced [former Tour winner] Froome’s accelerations, but that was less impressive, even so.” Despite that, Romain Bardet took the first yellow jersey of his long career early on during the 2024 Tour de France.
Bardet observed that Pogačar’s superiority had extended across the full calendar, with his form barely dipping from February through to October. “He’s so superior, it’s hard to explain,” Bardet admitted, acknowledging the frustration felt within the peloton at the lack of competitive parity with the UAE Emirates leader. Bardet cited Liège-Bastogne-Liège, where he finished a distant second to Pogačar, as one of many instances where the Slovenian’s margin of victory was “considerable.”
The 34-year-old Frenchman also criticised the centralisation of top talent and resources within a small group of dominant WorldTour teams, such as UAE Team Emirates and Visma-Lease a Bike, which he argued has altered the competitive landscape of professional cycling. “It’s a result of the direction road cycling has taken where the talents and the highest salaries are concentrated in a handful of squads,” Bardet remarked, hinting that the current structure could diminish interest at the elite level.
Main photo credit: Getty
