Tadej Pogaçar sets record straight after missing home European Championships: 'I'm not in good shape'
Cycling
Follow IDL Pro Cycling on Google
Stay up to date with the best cycling news by making us a preferred source on Google.
Follow us on GoogleRemco Evenepoel won the European Cycling Championships in Slovenia on Sunday after a nail-biter. It was a European Championship without Tadej Pogaçar—or was it. The injured superstar was present in his home country and spoke to the press afterwards for the first time since his serious crash in the Vuelta a España.
ADVERTISEMENT
Pogaçar forced to admit he is not race-ready
Last week, news broke that Pogaçar still wanted to compete in the European Championships, but after the championships ended, he set the record straight.
“When we [he and his partner Urška Žigart, who was also unable to compete because of a broken jaw] watched the women’s race, we thought, ‘Darn it, I should be there; we should be there.’”
Read also
"She, in particular, is feeling great, so it's hard to watch the race and know that you could be a part of it," he continues.
Pogaçar himself was also spotted on the course. “I’ve been cycling for a week now, and I know my form is pretty poor, so I didn’t want to compete. But yeah, a week or two ago, I would have been really eager to be at the start here.”
Read more below the photo!
Pogaçar Pays Tribute to retiring national teammate Mezgec
Pogacar was there at the European Championships after all, partly to watch Luka Mezgec’s final race.
“Luka has been a very important part of my career. His biggest victory came when I was about fifteen years old, at the Giro in Trieste,” Pogacar recalls. Mezgec was riding for Sunweb at the time.
"He was sort of an idol and mentor to me back then on the national team. And yes, I learned a lot from him, and he really had an amazing career," continues the Slovenian powerhouse, who was later honoured in his home country.
"I think a lot of young kids—young cyclists—should try to follow in his footsteps. As a lead-out rider and helper, and as a mentor and road captain within the team. So yes, being here with him today is really great, and I’m honored to be sitting next to him,” said Pogacar.
So the season is already over for Pogacar. He won't be racing in the Tour of Lombardy next week either.
Read also
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.
IDL-productions
Vollering adds the Women’s European Championships road race jersey to her rainbow wardrobe
16-day Grand Tours, AI, VAR, drones and more: The UCI's new document has a potentially major impact from 2029 onwards
Quinn Simmons' Strava shows exactly what it takes to compete at the World Championships: ‘I said, Hey guys, anything is possible'
Despite losing the World Championships, Del Toro and Seixas rank high mentally and physically on the Pogačar scale
Van der Poel loves it, but a lack of race radios gave McNulty and USA the chaos it needed to slip away
Latest Cycling News
2026 European Cycling Championships Elite Men Preview | Evenepoel hopes to do better one week after the World Championships
Evenepoel's national team coach on European Championships: What was said in the final stretch?
"That's cycling": Giulio Ciccone shows maturity after losing European Championship to Evenepoel in photo finish
European Champion Evenepoel gained kilos ahead of European Championships but delivered win nonetheless
Evenepoel 'relieved' and 'proud' to win European title after tough week following World Championship 'disappointment'
Popular Cycling News
Millimeter sprint decides magnificent European Championship, full of crashes, tactical ingenuity and crucial bike throw.
Rasmussen isn’t looking forward to a year of McNulty as World Champion: ‘With his jersey full of water bottles’
Tom Pidcock again frustrated by Matteo Jorgenson's race tactics at the Giro dell'Emilia
Boonen and others think Van Aert rode 'recklessly' at World Championships: 'We thought he'd get the message after Roubaix'
2026 European Cycling Championships Elite Men Preview | Evenepoel hopes to do better one week after the World Championships
Latest Comments
- - Un poco corto en la parte técnica de la bici de McNulty, no? Colnago nero con detalles arcoíris suena brutal — queremos más fotos, per favore.pedalpowe2902-10-2026
- - Demi finally gets her stripes! Team Oranje tactics on point again — recon, lead-out, and that patient regroup. Textbook. Chapeau.sprocketspiny02-10-2026
- - Wait, does the world champ jersey apply to all disciplines or just road race? Can McNulty wear it in a TT too, or is that only if he won the TT worlds?davidm02-10-2026
- - Brilliant coverage. The early flight back to beat jet lag is elite-level thinking. Those marginal gains matter before a punchy Euros course.samanthak02-10-2026
- - Not sure the “surprised everyone” line about McNulty is fair. He’s been knocking on the door all season in one-day races and TTs. Emilia in rainbows is going to slap.patriciaw02-10-2026
- - Love seeing the rainbow bands back on Slovenian roads. Demi looks sharp in that kit. Hope she gets a full custom bike soon, not just a tiny stripe under the seatpost. Come on, give the champ a proper paint job!cadencekingm02-10-2026
- - Quick one: why can’t McNulty wear the rainbow at Euros? Is it only for world champs from Europe or something about national teams vs trade teams?lindae02-10-2026
- - That Dutch masterclass was something else. Vollering timed that second move perfectly after the first dig didn’t stick. Proper teamwork — Wiebes and the crew deserve as much credit as Demi.julien02-10-2026
- - Boonen’s line about trusting teammates is gold. World’s is chess, not crit. Belgium tried to cover every scenario and covered none. Harsh lesson, but needed before next year.samanthak02-10-2026
- - Great read, but the piece leans a bit too harsh on Wout for me. He wasn’t at leader-level form, true, yet the team didn’t set up a plan B well enough. Segaert the bright spot, agreed.julien02-10-2026
Loading
