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
