Tadej Pogacar has left his mark on the 2025 cycling season. It is not expected that the Slovenian will slow down in 2026. It is clear that he wants to take part in some of the classics again next year.
As soon as the successful cycling year has ended, Tadej Pogacar is already thinking about the next competitions. When asked after his victory in the Tour of Lombardy last Saturday where he wanted to pitch next year, the 27-year-old gave his first hints about possible participation.
“My bucket list for 2026? Sanremo and Roubaix are still missing from the monuments,” Pogacar is quoted by “Domestique Cycling”. The exceptional cyclist made cycling history in 2025 when he became the first rider ever to reach the podium at all five monuments in one season. But he was “only” able to win the Tour of Flanders, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and now the Tour of Lombardy. Incidentally, Pogacar won the latter for the fifth time in a row, making him the record winner there.
This means: After third place at Milan-Sanremo and second place at Paris-Roubaix, the four-time Tour de France winner and two-time world champion may want to make a new attempt next year. The one-day race in Italy traditionally takes place at the end of March, followed by the journey through “the hell of the north” in mid-April.
Pogacar is looking forward to the break
At the same time, Tadej Pogacar made it clear in Bergamo that he has not yet made any very specific plans for 2026.
“I don’t want to look too far ahead. First I need a bit of a break before I can start again,” said the Slovenian, who had already spoken about mental stress after the Tour de France victory. It is possible that Pogacar will skip some of the classics next year that he took part in in 2025 in preparation for the big French loop.
“Het Laatse Nieuws” recently reported that UAE Team Emirates was thinking about giving Pogacar more recovery time in the spring. There was speculation, for example, whether Paris-Roubaix would not even be skipped next year. Then the superstar would have to wait a little longer before he can compete for the longed-for title there. It was recently said that the Amstel Gold Race could also take place without Pogacar.