UAE manager warns rivals about an even better Tadej Pogačar, and Strava numbers seem to back it up

Pogačar is expected to start his season at Strade Bianche on 7 March, as he did in 2024. This time, however, the focus is different: the Giro-Tour double is not on the agenda for 2026, and the idea is that he arrives fresher for the spring.

After an outrageously successful 2025, the Slovenian also believes two missing Monuments are within reach. Milan-San Remo has been a long-term target, and this winter he has again been spotted testing himself on the roads around the Poggio. Paris-Roubaix is another race very much on his mind: he rode it for the first time last year and finished second despite a crash. The Flemish and Ardennes Classics are also both on his 2026 programme.

With Pogačar not racing yet, most of what we have to go on are training glimpses and comments from people close to him — and Matxin, as UAE Emirates-XRG’s sporting manager, is one of the key voices. Speaking to Marca, the Spaniard didn’t hide his confidence. He essentially warned the competition about what’s coming, not only from Pogačar but from UAE as a whole.

UAE have been the top WorldTour team for three consecutive seasons and Matxin says maintaining that level across the roster remains a priority. The team already has 10 wins in 2026, coming off a staggering 95 victories last season — a record-breaking haul in which Pogačar took a huge share. And yet, the biggest winner of them all hasn’t even started his year. “He’s doing well. He’s working extremely hard towards a season with big goals,” Matxin said.

Matxin called Pogačar “perhaps the most versatile rider I’ve ever seen”, and that versatility is why UAE plan to go all-in with him again for the full spring campaign and the Tour de France. “I’m convinced he still has many good years ahead of him. This year he’s improved a little again, so we expect a very competitive Tadej.”

So where does that improvement come from, especially after what Pogačar himself has described as his best season ever? Matxin points to age and the experience that comes with it. “The maturity and experience he gains every year make him better. It helps him understand himself better, train better, and pace himself. I think he’ll make even more progress this year. He has no weak points.”

We recently covered a Pogačar Strava activity that already hinted he’s flying in training, but this week there was a notable twist: power data. Pogačar usually hides his wattage, yet on a 132.47-kilometre training ride on Wednesday 11 February the numbers were visible.

Velo dug into the file and compared it with something Pogačar had previously said on a podcast: that his Zone 2 power averages around 340 watts, and that his FTP (Functional Threshold Power — the maximum average power a rider can sustain for roughly an hour) sits somewhere between 420 and 440 watts.

The Strava data from 11 February appears to fit both claims. Pogačar reportedly rode much of the session between 320 and 340 watts at an average heart rate of 144 beats per minute — a heart-rate range he associates with Zone 2. Velo’s FTP estimate from the ride also came out at roughly 430 watts. If those numbers are any indication, the rest of the peloton has been warned.