'I’m Starting to Feel a Little Old': Tadej Pogačar Battles Burnout, New Rivals Ahead of Lombardia Raid

There’s enough left in the tank to target a record fifth title at Il Lombardia, but Pogačar is looking forward to the beach: ‘I feel the arrival of new generations.’

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Pogačar worried? Well, maybe not yet, but he sees the new generation coming. (Photo: Giuseppe Cottini/Getty Images)

Tadej Pogačar is racing on fumes, but he is still chasing history this weekend at what could be a record-tying fifth win at Il Lombardia.

With a long season in the rearview and a new generation of would-be rivals nipping at his heels, the world No. 1 is sounding reflective going into the last big prize of another spectacular season in 2025.

“I’m still motivated. I feel good, and I can’t wait to race Lombardy on Saturday,” Pogačar told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “It’s true that this season has been long and demanding, but I think I’ve managed my best and now there’s only one last race left.

“It’s a classic monument, one of the most important races on the international calendar. I’m confident the legs will still be good.”

The legs might still be good, but is the spark fading? Pogačar’s been sounding world-weary since his case of the mid-summer blues at the Tour de France.

But that’s not translating to the road, at least not yet, and the sudden rise of some younger, brasher rivals will keep him pushing the accelerator.

‘I feel the arrival of new generations’

Pogačar, 27, laughed when asked if he is starting to feel like a parent crashing a slumber party.

“A little yes. That’s exactly what I said to [Julian] Alaphilippe in the area behind the podium,” he told La Gazzetta. “And who knows how he must have felt, who is 33 years old, compared to us.”

Recent podiums have brought unfamiliar company. Two teenagers in the baby-faced forms of France’s Paul Seixas and Denmark’s Albert Withen Philipsen, both born in 2006, have raided the post-race celebrations.

Add the likes of Florian Lipowitz, Paul Magnier, and Matthew Brennan, not to mention UAE Emirates-XRG teammate Isaac del Toro, and the new generation is already here.

If that’s truly giving Pogačar pause, it’s hard to say.

On the road, he is still crushing everyone, from his real-time rivals like Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel, to this new wave of wannabes.

“At 27, I feel the arrival of the new generations. Our sport is evolving, it will be a show,” he said. “Seixas went strong all year, he came eighth in the Dauphiné. Philipsen finished 10th at the Giro dell’Emilia.

“And there are several others. I believe that in recent years we have seen a lot, and it will be like this in the future as well.”

Who is King Pog’s most direct threat?

Vingegaard and Evenepoel remain his most dangerous peers, with Mathieu van der Poel and Evenepoel again in the monuments, but the peloton is now suddenly flush with fresh ambition.

Yet the big question remains if any of them can truly step up to provide a direct and existential threat to Pogačar.

With King Pog in full bulldozer mode over the past 48 months, the answer seems no.

With victory on Saturday, he’ll end the season with 20 wins, the most in the elite men’s peloton for the third time in his career.

He became the first rider to win back-to-back Tour de France-world championship double, and could finish on the podium of all five monuments in one season.

But just the acknowledgement that he is at least recognizing the imminent threats from younger riders is interesting.

“I will first find Remco Evenepoel, who has shown a very high level between the world championships and the European championships,” Pogačar said. “But I never start a race thinking that it will be a challenge for two. It would not be respectful towards so many other riders.”

Still, the reigning king of every terrain insists he is far from done.

Pogačar likes a good fight and the sandbox is suddenly seeing some new faces.

“Finding and trying to beat new opponents is inspiring,” Pogačar said. “I’m sure that in the future they will give me a hard time and I’ll have to try to always be up to the task. It’s good that it’s like this.”

A win on Saturday would complete another breathtaking season and cement his tyrannical rule for another year.

“I’m not too fond of numbers and records,” he said of the Lombardia five-win mark. “I think that already conquering four consecutively is something great, but I will be at the start with the hope and the desire to repeat myself once again. I can count on a great team around me, and that’s already a great starting point.”

For now, there is just one more raid before the beach.