Stefan Tabeling, dpa
When a cycle race is taking place right on his doorstep in Monaco’s famous harbour, and Prince Albert II is keen to cheer on one of his most prominent residents, Tadej Pogacar really cannot say no. Twenty-six days after his historic fifth victory in the Tour de France, the superstar is cutting short his summer holiday to fill one of the few gaps in his impressive track record. Pogacar has yet to win the Vuelta a España, which begins on Saturday.
However, before the Slovenian world champion sets out on the last of the three major stage races, there is apparently another event awaiting him that is hardly any less significant. According to reports, the Pogacar camp intends to finalise a new contract in the Principality on Friday with team president Matar Suhail Al Yabhouni Al Dhaheri from the Emirates and team manager Mauro Gianetti.
Will Pogacar remain active for at least another five years?
“Tadej is happy, but there are a few points to discuss – and it’s not about money. We’ll be talking about the year 2031. We want to discuss certain clauses. Our intention is to extend the contract,” said agent Alex Carera to the renowned cycling journalist Daniel Benson.
Pogacar’s contract currently runs until 2030; in the past, the 27-year-old prodigy had even considered retiring after the 2028 Olympic Games. A faint hope that his rivals – including Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel and Florian Lipowitz – can probably put to one side for the time being.
It is not known exactly which clauses are being discussed. There is talk of image rights, bonuses, his team-mates’ race schedules and the use of a private jet. Money is certainly also being discussed. When Pogacar extended his contract shortly before the 2024 Tour, his salary is said to have been raised to an estimated eight million euros.
Pogacar dominates the world of cycling
A sum that hardly does justice to his abilities any longer. For since then, Pogacar has dominated cycling in a way that, before him, perhaps only Eddy Merckx did. Three Tour victories, two world championship titles and numerous classics wins have been added to his tally since then. When Pogacar rolls up to the start line, the competition is usually left fighting for second place.
It is unlikely to be any different in the Tour of Spain; anything other than the red jersey for the overall leader would be a sensation. Over the 3,275 kilometres from Monaco to Granada, his compatriot and four-time Vuelta winner Primož Roglic of the German Red Bull team remains one of his biggest rivals, though the 36-year-old’s best days are behind him. “Winning it four times is something I could never have imagined. That’s why I don’t want to put any extra pressure on myself,” says Roglic, knowing full well that a fifth victory this year is highly unlikely.
Merckx believes Pogacar is capable of winning the triple crown
Pogacar, who has so far competed once in the 2019 Vuelta as a 19-year-old and won three stages, would become only the ninth professional cyclist to have won all three Grand Tours should he triumph. Cycling legend Eddy Merckx, however, goes even further. The Belgian even believes he is capable of securing all three victories in a single year. “If anyone can do it, it’s him,” says Merckx.
However, the two-time world champion has other ambitions as well. “Paris–Roubaix is on my wish list,” says Pogacar. In the cobbled ordeal known as the Hell of the North, he has twice been thwarted by classics specialists Mathieu van der Poel (2025) and Wout van Aert (2026). Olympic gold in Los Angeles in 2028 is also a major goal, and he enjoys wearing the World Championship jersey anyway.
Following his Tour victory, however, Pogacar took a break for the time being. As a die-hard fan wearing a little hat, he cheered on his girlfriend Urska Zigart from the roadside at the Women’s Tour de France. And back home, he organised the Pogi Challenge – which offered a completely new experience. Victory in the 15-kilometre climb up his local mountain in Komenda went to Frederik Niessen, an amateur cyclist and junior doctor from Berlin. Pogacar had given the amateur field a seven-minute head start. When it comes to the mountain stages in Spain, Pogacar certainly won’t be handing out any favours.
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