Latest news with #UAEEmiratesXRG
CNA
3 days ago
- Sport
- CNA
Pogacar wary of burnout despite Tour triumph, shuns talk of chasing Merckx
PARIS :Although Tadej Pogacar appears on the verge of emulating cycling great Eddy Merckx, the Slovenian says he is in no rush to chase history, warning that the risk of burnout looms large in one of the most mentally and physically demanding sports. The 26-year-old sealed his fourth Tour de France title on Sunday after three weeks of dominance, but admitted fatigue crept in during the final days. 'We were comfortably in the yellow, but yeah, I was a bit tired in the last week, to be honest,' Pogacar told a press conference, adding that for now he wanted to enjoy the moment in Paris rather than dissect mistakes. While his achievements have already placed him among the all-time greats, Pogacar said cycling's relentless calendar and obsession with training create a dangerous cycle that can leave riders mentally and physically drained. "Burnouts happen in sports, in a lot of sports, mental burnout, physical burnout. We train a lot. Cyclists are sometimes too obsessed with training, and everybody wants to train more and more and more," he explained. The world champion warned that overtraining combined with constant racing demands can trap riders in a cycle of fatigue that rarely allows time for recovery. 'You see some riders have fatigue too early in the season and then the team needs you to race, race, race. In the end, you just keep going into this circle and you never recover," the UAE Emirates-XRG rider said. "Then you come to October and you're like, finally a break. And then in December, you're trying to do it all over again." For Pogacar, that risk is why he refuses to set lofty targets such as joining Merckx and Miguel Indurain with five Tour titles. 'Obviously it's not the goal to win five tours. Right now, I have no clear goals. Maybe the world championships this year and (the Tour of) Lombardy, but for now I just enjoy the moment and will think about the next goals quite soon,' he said. Pogacar also credited rival Jonas Vingegaard for pushing him to higher levels, calling their five-year duel a privilege. 'We just push each other to the next level,' he said. It is the first time that two riders finish first and second in five consecutive Tours, Vingegaard having beaten Pogacar in 2022 and 2023 while the Slovenian edged his rival out this year, in 2021 and 2024. After three gruelling weeks, Pogacar savoured the relaxed final stage in Paris. 'Today was pure racing … and I enjoyed it quite a bit,' he said with a smile.
Reuters
3 days ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Pogacar wary of burnout despite Tour triumph, shuns talk of chasing Merckx
PARIS, July 27 (Reuters) - Although Tadej Pogacar appears on the verge of emulating cycling great Eddy Merckx, the Slovenian says he is in no rush to chase history, warning that the risk of burnout looms large in one of the most mentally and physically demanding sports. The 26-year-old sealed his fourth Tour de France title on Sunday after three weeks of dominance, but admitted fatigue crept in during the final days. 'We were comfortably in the yellow, but yeah, I was a bit tired in the last week, to be honest,' Pogacar told a press conference, adding that for now he wanted to enjoy the moment in Paris rather than dissect mistakes. While his achievements have already placed him among the all-time greats, Pogacar said cycling's relentless calendar and obsession with training create a dangerous cycle that can leave riders mentally and physically drained. "Burnouts happen in sports, in a lot of sports, mental burnout, physical burnout. We train a lot. Cyclists are sometimes too obsessed with training, and everybody wants to train more and more and more," he explained. The world champion warned that overtraining combined with constant racing demands can trap riders in a cycle of fatigue that rarely allows time for recovery. 'You see some riders have fatigue too early in the season and then the team needs you to race, race, race. In the end, you just keep going into this circle and you never recover," the UAE Emirates-XRG rider said. "Then you come to October and you're like, finally a break. And then in December, you're trying to do it all over again." For Pogacar, that risk is why he refuses to set lofty targets such as joining Merckx and Miguel Indurain with five Tour titles. 'Obviously it's not the goal to win five tours. Right now, I have no clear goals. Maybe the world championships this year and (the Tour of) Lombardy, but for now I just enjoy the moment and will think about the next goals quite soon,' he said. Pogacar also credited rival Jonas Vingegaard for pushing him to higher levels, calling their five-year duel a privilege. 'We just push each other to the next level,' he said. It is the first time that two riders finish first and second in five consecutive Tours, Vingegaard having beaten Pogacar in 2022 and 2023 while the Slovenian edged his rival out this year, in 2021 and 2024. After three gruelling weeks, Pogacar savoured the relaxed final stage in Paris. 'Today was pure racing … and I enjoyed it quite a bit,' he said with a smile.
Japan Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- Japan Times
Master Pogacar has Tour de France peloton under his thumb
Such is Tadej Pogacar's domination on the Tour de France that what began as a frantic chase for stage wins has morphed into a racing masterclass — a reigning champion pulling the strings on his way to a fourth title. Since the Slovenian declared he would not grant any freebies after he won four of the opening 13 stages, he has not crossed the line first and Friday's final mountain trek showed that he might have changed his mind along the way. The UAE Emirates-XRG rider was just content with setting the pace in the final climb of Friday's 19th stage, a short yet brutal Alpine trek to La Plagne, letting Thymen Arensman celebrate a second victory this year after the Dutchman battled solo on the steep slopes through episodes of heavy rain in sub-10 degrees Celsius temperatures. The contrast with Pogacar's almost effortless style on the last mountain day was striking as the three-time champion controlled chief rival Jonas Vingegaard, who appeared resigned to defeat. "It started to be very long, especially with the weather today. I just want to go on the (team) bus and go take a hot shower," Pogacar told reporters. "I tried (to attack once) as soon as (the) Decathlon (team) stopped with their hard pace. It was too early and nobody contributed to the chase of Arensman. So I just kept the pace and I was counting down the kilometers to Paris. "I just set the pace that I felt comfortable with and if somebody would attack from my wheel, then I could still accelerate." He did not need to, and did not bother to either, in the finale, where any move by the 26-year-old would have obliterated Arensman's chances. The same quiet authority was on display on Thursday on the Col de la Loze: no fireworks, just total control as he let Australian Ben O'Connor ride to the stage win. Pogacar leads Vingegaard by 4:24 and only a major incident would see him not win the race for the fourth time after his triumphs in 2020, 2021 and 2024. Pogacar is now unlikely to be bothered by Vingegaard's Visma-Lease a Bike team, with the biggest scare over the last couple of days being when he bumped into the rear of one of their team cars. Saturday's stage is hilly but does not provide any major difficulty for the overall leaders. Sunday's stage to Paris, while featuring three ascents of the Butte Montmartre, will not be tough enough to shake up the general classification. Asked if he was bored — having been sitting on a cushion of over four minutes since Stage 13 — as the race approaches the end, Pogacar said: "I'm obviously tired. It hasn't been an easy Tour. People have been attacking me from left, right and center. "From Day 1 to the end, I've had to stay focused and motivated. The main priority was always the yellow jersey. "Sometimes, all you can do is keep counting down the distance to the finish line. That's how it is." For most riders, counting down the kilometers to the finish line on the Champs Elysees is an act of survival. For Pogacar, it's the ultimate luxury.
CNA
5 days ago
- Sport
- CNA
Master Pogacar has Tour de France peloton under his thumb
LA PLAGNE, France :Such is Tadej Pogacar's domination on the Tour de France that what began as a frantic chase for stage wins has morphed into a racing masterclass - a reigning champion pulling the strings on his way to a fourth title. Since the Slovenian declared he would not grant any freebies after he won four of the opening 13 stages, he has not crossed the line first and Friday's final mountain trek showed that he might have changed his mind along the way. The UAE Emirates-XRG rider was just content with setting the pace in the final climb of Friday's 19th stage, a short yet brutal Alpine trek to La Plagne, letting Thymen Arensman celebrate a second victory this year after the Dutchman battled solo on the steep slopes through episodes of heavy rain in sub-10 degrees Celsius temperatures. The contrast with Pogacar's almost effortless style on the last mountain day was striking as the three-time champion controlled chief rival Jonas Vingegaard, who appeared resigned to defeat. "It started to be very long, especially with the weather today. I just want to go on the (team) bus and go take a hot shower, Pogacar told reporters. "I tried (to attack once) as soon as (the) Decathlon (team) stopped with their hard pace. It was too early and nobody contributed to the chase of Arensman. So I just kept the pace and I was counting down the kilometres to Paris. "I just set the pace that I felt comfortable with and if somebody would attack from my wheel, then I could still accelerate." ULTIMATE LUXURY He did not need to and did not bother to either in the finale, where any move by the 26-year-old would have obliterated Arensman's chances. The same quiet authority was on display on Thursday on the Col de la Loze: no fireworks, just total control as he let Australian Ben O'Connor ride to the stage win. Pogacar leads the Danish rider by 4:24 and only a major incident would see him not win the race for the fourth time after his 2020, 2021 and 2024 triumphs. Pogacar is now unlikely to be bothered by Vingegaard's Visma-Lease a Bike team, with the biggest scare over the last couple of days being when he bumped into the rear of one of their team cars. Saturday's stage is hilly but does not provide any major difficulty for the overall leaders. Sunday's stage to Paris, while it features three ascents of the Butte Montmartre, will not be tough enough to shake up the general classification. Asked if he was bored - having been sitting on a cushion of over four minutes since Stage 13 - as the race approaches the end, Pogacar said: "I'm obviously tired. It hasn't been an easy Tour. People have been attacking me from left, right and centre. "From day one to the end, I've had to stay focused and motivated. The main priority was always the yellow jersey. For most riders, counting down the kilometres to the finish line on the Champs Elysees is an act of survival. For Pogacar, it's the ultimate luxury.
Reuters
5 days ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Master Pogacar has Tour de France peloton under his thumb
LA PLAGNE, France, July 25 (Reuters) - Such is Tadej Pogacar's domination on the Tour de France that what began as a frantic chase for stage wins has morphed into a racing masterclass - a reigning champion pulling the strings on his way to a fourth title. Since the Slovenian declared he would not grant any freebies after he won four of the opening 13 stages, he has not crossed the line first and Friday's final mountain trek showed that he might have changed his mind along the way. The UAE Emirates-XRG rider was just content with setting the pace in the final climb of Friday's 19th stage, a short yet brutal Alpine trek to La Plagne, letting Thymen Arensman celebrate a second victory this year after the Dutchman battled solo on the steep slopes through episodes of heavy rain in sub-10 degrees Celsius temperatures. The contrast with Pogacar's almost effortless style on the last mountain day was striking as the three-time champion controlled chief rival Jonas Vingegaard, who appeared resigned to defeat. "It started to be very long, especially with the weather today. I just want to go on the (team) bus and go take a hot shower, Pogacar told reporters. "I tried (to attack once) as soon as (the) Decathlon (team) stopped with their hard pace. It was too early and nobody contributed to the chase of Arensman. So I just kept the pace and I was counting down the kilometres to Paris. "I just set the pace that I felt comfortable with and if somebody would attack from my wheel, then I could still accelerate." He did not need to and did not bother to either in the finale, where any move by the 26-year-old would have obliterated Arensman's chances. The same quiet authority was on display on Thursday on the Col de la Loze: no fireworks, just total control as he let Australian Ben O'Connor ride to the stage win. Pogacar leads the Danish rider by 4:24 and only a major incident would see him not win the race for the fourth time after his 2020, 2021 and 2024 triumphs. Pogacar is now unlikely to be bothered by Vingegaard's Visma-Lease a Bike team, with the biggest scare over the last couple of days being when he bumped into the rear of one of their team cars. Saturday's stage is hilly but does not provide any major difficulty for the overall leaders. Sunday's stage to Paris, while it features three ascents of the Butte Montmartre, will not be tough enough to shake up the general classification. Asked if he was bored - having been sitting on a cushion of over four minutes since Stage 13 - as the race approaches the end, Pogacar said: "I'm obviously tired. It hasn't been an easy Tour. People have been attacking me from left, right and centre. "From day one to the end, I've had to stay focused and motivated. The main priority was always the yellow jersey. "Sometimes, all you can do is keep counting down the distance to the finish line. That's how it is." For most riders, counting down the kilometres to the finish line on the Champs Elysees is an act of survival. For Pogacar, it's the ultimate luxury.
