Gullegem cross tried to lure Tadej Pogacar, but his calendar said no

For the race on January 3, Gullegem could not rely on Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert or Thibau Nys, who had all opted against participating. Faced with a thinner headline field, the organisation went looking for a different kind of story, one that could lift the event beyond its usual place in the hierarchy.

“We went looking for another figurehead for our race. A very good rider, let’s say. That description fits Tadej Pogačar quite well,” organiser Stijn Tant said to Sporza.

It was not pure fantasy. Pogačar has a history with cyclocross and an openly stated affection for the discipline. In 2021 and 2022, he raced cyclocross events in Slovenia, winning on his debut and reminding everyone that his path into cycling was shaped on muddy circuits. That background made Gullegem’s idea feel plausible enough to pursue.

“So we thought: you have a no, but you can get a yes,” Tant said.

The organisers picked up the phone and eventually spoke with Pogačar’s manager, Alex Carera. The response was respectful but definitive. “In the end we got a no, because Pogačar is on training camp then. So it didn’t fit the planning,” Tant explained.

Money was discussed but never became the decisive factor. Gullegem was prepared to make a serious offer. “We wanted a sum that was representative for someone like Tadej Pogačar,” Tant said. “But we never got to really specific agreements. Still, you always have to believe in it.”

Yet the Pogačar idea resonates beyond a single event. UCI director of sport Peter Van den Abeele suggested in November that Pogačar’s interest in cyclocross is genuine and mainly limited by team strategy. “Forget not, Tadej has also been a cyclocross rider,” Van den Abeele said. “It’s just that his team won’t let him. Otherwise, he would start racing right away.”

One factor that could change the equation is the possibility of cyclocross being added to the 2030 Winter Olympics, which would create a fresh target for Pogačar as he approaches the later stage of his career.

In December, Van den Abeele revealed that Pogačar had already backed the UCI’s bid to the IOC: "Everyone is super enthusiastic. Cyclocross is sometimes treated with contempt, but it is a very good learning experience towards the other disciplines. Tadej also agrees." 

Alongside Pogačar, cycling’s governing body has also secured the support of seven-time cyclocross world champion Mathieu van der Poel. "We asked those men [Pogačar and Van der Poel] to make a video, which we could send to the organising committee of the 2030 Winter Games and also to the IOC," Van den Abeele stated.