While Tadej Pogacar’s repeated demonstrations reinforce suspicions of doping against him, his manager Joxean Matxin highlights the Slovenian’s schedule management and his natural physical qualities.
But how does Tadej Pogacar manage to be so strong? How does the Slovenian manage to string together victories in practically each of his races, from the Strade Bianche to the Tour of Lombardy, including the Giro, the Tour de France and the world championships?
As is often the case in cycling, as soon as a rider crushes the competition, Pogacar faces suspicions of doping. But for Joxean Matxin, the manager of UAE-Team Emirates, the secret of the world No. 1 lies in his management of the calendar.
“Tadej hasn’t had many racing days this year,
explains the Basque to the Last Hour. He stopped his 2023 season in October and only resumed at Strade Bianche, five months later. Before the Giro, he only participated in three, four races. And after the Tour, he took a break for almost two months. We made sure that it doesn’t roll too much, since it performs well almost every time. And this will still be the case in 2025.”
Pogacar saved himself
In fact, and even if he “doubled” the Giro and Tour de France this year, Pogacar has only accumulated 58 days of racing in 2024. This is two days less than his program in 2021, and four days more than in 2022. In comparison, the Slovenian ultimately raced less than Remco Evenepoel (61 days of racing in 2024), who was nevertheless absent two months after his fall at the Tour of the Basque Country.
In addition, Matxin, who is considered by many to be the man who discovered Pogacar and brought him to UAE, also highlights his runner’s natural qualities.
“The day I understood that Tadej was a phenomenon the likes of which we see very few in the history of sport, it went back to the 2019 Vueltahe explains. During the 20th stage, he left, alone, 44 kilometers from the finish. We thought he was crazy, that he wouldn’t last, but he won the stage, climbed to the 3rd step of the podium after threatening Roglic’s red jersey. He had, of course, intrinsic physical and physiological qualities but also an extraordinary mentality. It takes enough to spend 2.5 hours alone in front, as was the case during the world championships! »
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