Majka impressed by Pogacar and Del Toro, gives advice as Ayuso prepares to leave

Majka has made his mark at UAE Team Emirates-XRG. The climber joined the team in 2021 after leaving BORA-hansgrohe. Earlier in his career, he also rode for Tinkoff. He did so for a long time on his own account. Majka won the mountain classification in the Tour de France in 2014 and 2016 and always finished in the top seven in his first four appearances in the Giro d'Italia.

His best result in a Grand Tour was in the 2015 Vuelta a España, when Majka finished third. In recent years at UAE, he has mainly emerged as a super domestique for his leaders, particularly Pogacar. In recent years, he has won a few stages in Slovenia and Poland, and this year became the Polish road champion. After 2025, he will retire to spend more time with his family.

Over the years, Majka has worked with some great leaders. At Tinkoff, he rode for Alberto Contador, and at BORA, he saw Peter Sagan at work up close. At UAE, Pogacar is of course the big boss. It is precisely these three leaders that Majka mentioned in an interview with Bici: “For me, it has always been fun to race with the best riders in the world.”

“All three are mentally strong,” Majka said, looking for a common trait among Contador, Sagan, and Pogacar. "Their ability to set goals is impressive. When Sagan was in form, he could win anywhere. Winning three World Championships in a row was extraordinary. Alberto said he would win the Giro, Tour, and Vuelta, and then he did it. Tadej speaks less, but wins a lot."

After Majka realized at BORA that leadership wasn't for him, he grew into a role as a domestique at UAE. "It's a different kind of stress," but he was always there, for example, this year when Del Toro made his breakthrough in the Giro. "I have great respect for him. He may have lacked some experience, but he's a strong guy and I'm sure he'll win a Grand Tour in the coming years."

In addition to Pogacar and Del Toro, Majka saw another great rider emerge at UAE, but Juan Ayuso's marriage to the best team of the moment will also come to an end after 2025. The young Spaniard received binding advice from his current teammate: “He just has to give it his all, train 100 percent and cycle hard. Ayuso also has the talent.”