Four-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogačar is only 26 years old, but he admits he is increasingly thinking about ending his career. Pogačar has a contract with UAE Team Emirates-XRG until 2030, but he recently hinted to L'Equipe that he will start thinking about retirement after the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The Slovenian cyclist began competing at the World Tour level in 2019 at the age of 20. He finished his Grand Tour debut, the Vuelta, in third place in 2019 and has since won the Tour four times and a hundred other races. Only the Vuelta, Milan-San Remo, and Paris-Roubaix remain as future goals before he ends his career.
"It might seem funny to many people that I'm already counting down to retirement, but the truth is that a sports career isn't very long," Pogačar admitted. "I started winning quite early and everything has gone very well. Every year we train harder and faster, so I look forward to the future with pleasure. On one hand, I know my sports career isn't long, but on the other hand, I'm aware that I can enjoy the moment I'm in now for a few more years. Most likely, my level will drop at some point, and I won't get such victories as I do now, and there will be some bad years too. I'm ready for anything that comes, so I'm even more aware that I need to enjoy the moment. I need to be ready to finish, to thank, and to say goodbye to competing at the highest level."
Pogačar indicated that the Tour will again be his main goal next season. "I think I will probably return to the Tour, as it is the biggest race, and I don't think the team would leave me at home..." Pogačar said.
While Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) is currently racing the Vuelta, Pogačar has chosen a different program. He will return to competition in Canada, at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec and Montréal, then he will attempt to defend his World Championship title in Rwanda. The hilly European Championships, which will take place a week later, on October 5th, in the South of France, are also a goal.
