Tadej Pogačar offers glimpse into his unique heart rate and sleep data on HBO documentary: 'It's just a matter of luck'
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Follow us on GoogleThis weekend, a new documentary about Tadej Pogačar premiered on HBO Max, which takes an in-depth look at the anatomy of the Slovenian cycling star. Pogačar—who also participated in the documentary—reveals the values of his most important physiological metrics.
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Pogačar uses WHOOP to track his vital data
Just like Mathieu van der Poel, Pogačar uses a WHOOP wristband to track his data. He focuses primarily on his resting heart rate, HRV (heart rate variability), and sleep quality: these metrics indicate how well he’s recovering and how fit he is. The Slovenian has a sleep consistency of 84 percent—even during (!) the Tour de France.
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It turns out that Pogačar actually has the same average resting heart rate as van der Poel: 38. Van der Poel has even had a reading of 34 before. By comparison, the average for the other riders on UAE Emirates-XRG is 42, while the average 27-year-old has a resting heart rate of 59.
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Van der Poel and Pogacar.
Pogačar realises that he is genetically fortunate
Then there’s HRV, a metric that reveals a lot about your stress and fatigue levels. “It’s genetic, but your fitness level also plays a role. It makes me stronger and helps me recover better,” van der Poel once explained to WHOOP. For Pogačar, that (personal) value averages 100, compared to an average of around 80 for his teammates.
Knowing Pogačar, he doesn't tend to boast too much. “I'm recovering and eating well and clean, and I think that's what works best. Besides, I mainly think it's just a matter of luck that I'm so strong,” said the Slovenian.
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Pogačar put in some insane training sessions
Inigo San Millan, Pogačar's first coach at UAE, also speaks in the 45-minute documentary Anatomy of a GOAT. “When we had him take a test for the first time in 2018, his training zones were already incredible,” the Basque recalls.
Last year, Pogačar—accidentally via Strava—gave us a glimpse into his training zones. His Zone 2—relatively easy—turned out to go up to 323 (!) watts, while his FTP (the tipping point) was reportedly around 415 watts.
Millan acknowledges that he simply has a genetic advantage. “While others had already reached a lactate level of 5 mmol/L at a certain point in an exercise test, Tadej’s level was still at 1.5 mmol/L.” In other words: while his teammates were pushing themselves to the limit, Pogacar was still taking it easy.
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Clarice WebsterEditor
Clarice has been following cycling her whole life, wroting about Thibaut Pinot (among others) for her university magazine while earning her masters in Journalism. She is passionate about furthering equality in sports coverage, and has taken huge inspiration from pillars of women’s cycling like Beryl Burton, Marianne Vos, and Laura Kenny.
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Latest Comments
- Is the Giro the race that happens before the Tour? And does winning the mountains jersey mean Carapaz scored the most points on climbs? Which race was everyone’s favourite?bikebuffj05-11-2026
- How did Mathieu van der Poel miss the list? His classics results surely put him in the conversation.sprocketspiny05-11-2026
- McNulty deserves more credit than his ranking suggests. A world title and all that work as a domestique make for a superb season.tourdeforce905-11-2026
- Seixas winning Lombardia at 20 is astonishing. The “next Pogačar” label feels a bit premature, though—let him build his own story before piling on the comparisons.andrewf05-11-2026
- Pogačar’s palmarès is ridiculous, but Van Aert deserves a special mention for Roubaix. Beating Tadej in the velodrome was one of the moments of the season.cyclechamp4505-11-2026
- I’m still learning the calendar: is cyclocross mainly preparation for the spring classics, or does he race it as a separate goal as well? I’d love to see him back in the mud.jeremya04-11-2026
- The article makes it sound as if Roubaix is the only classic where he has a realistic shot. He’s been close in Flanders too, and one good tactical day can change everything.jennifer1904-11-2026
- Milan-Sanremo and Roubaix is a pretty special pair of Monuments. Any clues yet on which cyclocross races he’ll target?andrewf04-11-2026
- He’s right to be realistic about Flanders with Pogačar and Evenepoel around, but you can’t count Van Aert out on those roads. If he gets the right opportunity, he has the engine and experience to take it.davidm04-11-2026
- That Roubaix win felt like such a release after all the near-misses. Brilliant to hear that joy outweighed relief for Wout.patriciaw04-11-2026