Tadej Pogačar's UAE boss has given the final word on those European Championships rumours

Will he or won't he? The question on everyone's lips is will Tadej Pogačar line up at the 2026 European Championships. Rumours have been flying around for weeks, with the latest news on Tuesday being that Pogačar himself is pushing to start Sunday's race. However, his team boss, Mauro Gianetti, has seemingly put an end to the matter just a few hours later.

Tadej Pogačar recently appeared as a reserve on the start list for the European Cycling Championships in Slovenia. Carlos Arribas, the well-informed Spanish journalist from El Pais, reported that the UAE leader is doing everything in his power to still be able to race this year.

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Despite Pogačar's enthusiasm to race in his native Slovenia, UAE Emirates-XRG aren’t entirely on board. Reports suggest that they and are trying to persuade Pogačar to return for the Tour Down Under, another race he has yet to win.

Pogačar is even said to have attempted to seek medical clearance from Dr Xavier Mir, the doctor who operated on him after the Vuelta a España. Mir, who is accustomed to the miraculous recovery processes of the athletes he operates on, told him, according to El País, that everything was perfectly fine and that there were no medical obstacles preventing him from taking part in races.

Mir’s words are echoed by Mauro Gianetti. The team manager of UAE Team Emirates-XRG knows how important the European Championships are to Pogacar, but he is putting a stop to his ambitions. ‘His desire to be there is understandable, but it’s too early,’ Gianetti tells La Gazzetta dello Sport. ‘His health comes first, so it won’t happen.’

Well that's that then. Or is it? Pogačar has certainly got his own way before, so don't be surprised if there's more to this story soon.