Tour Down Under almost featured Tadej Pogačar, organisers left frustrated by near miss

As the first WorldTour race of the year, the Tour Down Under already boasts an attractive field — but Pogačar’s participation would have taken it to another level. According to race director Stuart O’Grady, the Slovenian’s presence was not far off. In fact, O’Grady said in Canberra Times: “He’s very enthusiastic about coming here.”

Pogačar’s interest became a topic of conversation when super agent Alex Carera — who represents riders like Jasper Philipsen and Biniam Girmay alongside Pogačar — made a quick visit to the Tour Down Under. While there, Pogačar’s name was discussed, and O’Grady believes the champions’ enthusiasm was genuine.

O’Grady admitted he didn’t expect it, but saw it as a positive sign. “Maybe he’ll have won his fifth Tour de France by the end of 2026 and decide to go for a sixth,” he said, “but all we can do is make the best offer we can.”

The race director also highlighted how difficult it is to judge the appeal of the Tour Down Under until you’ve experienced it. He quoted Michael Kwiatkowski, who recently told him: “Why didn’t I come here ten years ago? It’s just such a perfect training platform.”

Although the race isn’t the ideal build-up for Pogačar’s main target — the Tour de France — O’Grady reiterated how enthusiastic the Slovenian was about the idea. “I spoke with Mauro Gianetti (UAE team boss) in Geneva last month and they almost sent him here."

O’Grady also pointed out that the appeal of chasing a fifth Tour de France title in 2026 means Pogačar and his team will likely maintain a similar race programme. But if things align in future seasons, the organisers are already planning to bring him down to Adelaide.

If Pogacar does indeed compete in 2027, it will mark his return to the Australian stage race after eight years. The young Slovenian competed in 2019, finishing thirteenth in the general classification and fourth in the youth classification. Later that year, he had his big breakthrough, winning three stages in the Tour of Spain.

Pogacar does, in any case, start his season with a series of races. Last year, as in 2022 and 2021, he started in the UAE Tour, while a year earlier he made his first appearance in the Strade Bianche. That will also be the case this year, as he will make his first appearance in Tuscany on March 7.

Strade Bianche