Gazzetta spills the beans with Pogacar updates: highlights of his 2025 schedule, massive buyout clause and... new sport!

First, new details emerged on Tuesday regarding the contract Pogacar recently signed with UAE-Team Emirates. On October 24, the Slovenian cyclist and his team announced that his agreement had been extended again: Pogacar is now contracted with the Emirates team until 2030, and the team is, of course, thrilled to have their star cyclist secured.

Previously, Pogacar’s annual salary was reportedly set at seven million euros (excluding bonuses), but this has now increased to eight million euros per year. If any team were to consider buying him out of this contract, they’d need to fork out a substantial sum. The buyout clause in his contract stands at an astounding 200 million euros!

Team boss Mauro Gianetti says that Pogacar’s value is almost impossible to quantify in monetary terms. "Tadej is not on the market. He doesn’t want to leave and is deeply connected to this country. What he does for Abu Dhabi goes far beyond the races he wins. Children cry when they get a selfie with him, the nation has discovered cycling thanks to him, and there’s a strong bond with the royal family. They’re currently building a 105-kilometer cycling course, and in 2028 (road cycling, ed.) and 2029 (track cycling, ed.), the world championships will be held here," La Gazzetta dello Sport quotes.

Of course, his schedule for the coming year also came up, and Pogacar had some news. "It’s not confirmed yet, but the Tour will once again be my main focus. I know I’ll face Jonas Vingegaard there, and I expect he’ll be even stronger." In the spring, the Slovenian will be back in Flanders. "I’ll race in Milan-San Remo and do a few cobblestone races, including the World Championships in Africa." Last year, he missed out on Flanders.

Gianetti revealed that Pogacar might tackle two grand tours again. "He won’t start his season early, as he needs time to recover. A double with the Giro or Tour isn’t out of the question. He enjoyed riding the Giro." One race the world champion won’t compete in in 2025 is Paris-Roubaix. "We can’t expect him to be phenomenal there as well."

Before the season even begins, Pogacar has some other activities lined up. He enjoys playing padel, and his management agency is organizing a tournament on November 22, where Jasper Philipsen, Biniam Girmay and Giulio Ciccone will also participate. A few days later, Pogacar will be 'at home' in Monaco for the Beking Criterium, organized by his friend Matteo Trentin.