'I don’t talk to myself in the mirror, but sometimes if I cannot sleep, I imagine a race situation': Tadej Pogačar lifts the lid on his physical and mental training

Tadej Pogačar needs no real introduction. The most dominant rider of the 2024 season, the 26-year-old took the triple crown: victory at the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France and World Championships, all in one season.

Is he the Greatest Rider of All Time (GOAT)? That's a matter still up for debate. But, with Tour victories in 2020, 2021 and 2024, as well as the rainbow stripes on his back, he's surely the greatest rider of our time.

Here's what he had to say about what's worked for him in the past year.

How has your new coach Javier Sola helped you improve?

He speaks with me every day, so I can’t slack at any point, not that I ever slacked, but it feels good to always have somone on hand whom you can trust and communicate super well with. I’m also training a little differently – a bit more specific stuff, more targeted towards the races that are coming up. I bring something to him; he brings something to me, some new methods and some new ways of training, and so far it’s working well.

How do you train for those lightning-rapid attacks?

We did a lot of VO2 max this year and also a lot of Zone 2 where you work on your fatigue resistance. This is where I think I improved the most: when I am fatigued, I don’t lose so much of my explosiveness anymore so it’s really an upgrade for me

Describe your off-the-bike training

I did a lot of work in the gym this year, but not so much with weights. I worked a lot with the team’s physio Victor Moreno, and also a physio in Monaco, Alexandre Baccili. He targets specific muscles that I need to develop. We work well together.

Has your nutrition changed?

I’m a bit more serious about it. Urška [Žigart, his partner and fellow pro rider] and I have always known what to eat, but now I’ve started to follow the nutrition plan from Gorka [Prieto-Bellver], our nutritionist, when it’s really necessary. If I don’t need to eat, I don’t eat – it’s about eating only what you need.

Do you use any mental techniques to prepare you for races?

I don’t talk to myself in the mirror, but sometimes if I cannot sleep, or before a race, I imagine the race situation, thinking about what could happen. So many things can happen in cycling so you need to be mentally prepared.

Do you think riding the Giro d’Italia is good preparation for the Tour de France?

If you go to the Giro and make some mistakes, it would be a big problem for the Tour. But for me, I rested well after the Giro, and the Tour went super good for me. I think I was more or less at the same level at the Tour as I was at the Giro, and I knew I could maintain good shape after the Tour too.

Quick fire questions

If you could ride in only one place for the rest of your life, where would it be?

The whole earth! There is no right answer!

Favourite cafe stop snack?

Anything from the bakery. Actually anything.

Favourite sport that isn’t cycling?

Cross-country skiing.

Best quality in a training partner?

Having something to talk about – the time passes much faster.

Worst quality in a training partner?

So slow you have to wait for them.

How would you change cycling?

This is a deep, hard question, and we could talk all day about this.

What might people be surprised to learn about you?

I think people know me better than I know myself now.