Tadej Pogacar sets his limits before the Tour de France: 'Knowing when enough is enough'

A new Tour de France, but the same top favorite. Tadej Pogacar could join an illustrious list that includes Eddy Merckx, Jacques Anquetil, Miguel Indurain, and Bernard Hinault by winning the race for the fifth time in the coming weeks. Paris, however, is still a long way off, and Pogacar would be the first to point that out.

Around the time of the press conference, the two top favorites for this Tour met: Pogačar and his rival Jonas Vingegaard. This led to a handshake and a brief chat between the Dane from Visma | Lease a Bike and the Slovenian from UAE Emirates-XRG, who had gotten a new, shorter, bleached hairstyle just for the Tour.

"But I don't think he's the only one who can contend for the win. I think there are quite a few riders here who can compete for the victory—that goes for both of us," Pogacar says, referring to Paul Seixas and Juan Ayuso, among others.

"But of course, the rivalry between Jonas and me has been spectacular over the past two years, I'd say. I hope we can keep this up for a few more years. And yeah, we'll see. We push each other to new heights every year, so we'll see what we can do this year," the Slovenian explains.

While Vingegaard, with the Giro included, has already racked up roughly 40 race days, Pogacar’s total for 2026 currently stands at 16. “I feel pretty good. Yes, only 16 days of racing, but the training kilometers count too, of course, and there are plenty of those. So I think we’re ready.”

In recent weeks, he seemed to be performing at a higher level than ever before. “Scientists and coaches are always looking for new ways to improve. But the biggest advantage for any athlete is knowing when enough is enough. Knowing when to stop trying to discover new things and just stick with what works best for you. Finding the balance between doing too much and doing too little.”

"There are just so many things you can do to improve your performance, and a lot of people come up with new theories. Everyone has a different opinion: you have to do this, you have to do that... And if you start thinking about everything and try to apply it all, there simply aren’t enough hours in the day. So you have to draw the line,” said Pogacar.

He draws that line for himself every now and then, too. “We always say that recovery is the most important thing. But now we’re seeing that people are constantly pushing themselves harder and harder. That means the time for recovery sometimes gets shorter. Even though the best way to recover is sometimes just to lie on the couch and do absolutely nothing. So yes, the most important thing is to find a balance between all the new things coming our way and knowing where your personal limits lie.'

"I've actually enjoyed racing my whole life," explains the UAE powerhouse. “But I have to say that I might be enjoying it even more as the years go by. You see the same team, the same riders, and the familiar faces around you. The racing itself is obviously part of it, but I especially enjoy just being with the guys and having a good time,” he concludes.