‘I'm probably not the one who trains the most’ - Pogacar explains his approach to staying on top

In fact, the five-time Tour de France winner suspects plenty of his competitors spend more time training than he does.

“I'm probably not the one who trains the most, either in the gym or on the bike,” Pogačar told Eurosport in an extensive interview released alongside the new documentary Anatomy of a G.O.A.T.

“There will probably always be someone who trains more and harder than me.”

Pogačar also explained how his training has changed since he started working with Javier Sola, and why impressive power figures do not always translate into results on the road.

Pogačar made significant changes to his preparation after Javier Sola took over as his coach ahead of the 2024 season, replacing Íñigo San Millán.

Under San Millán, much of his training was built around long rides in zone 2, usually combined with one or two harder efforts on a climb lasting around 15 minutes.

It was a relatively straightforward approach, but one that served him well during his rise to the top of the sport.

Things have changed under Sola.

Pogačar now follows a more varied programme, with sessions adapted to the races he is preparing for. VO2 max efforts and race simulations have become a bigger part of his training, while strength work and sprint exercises also feature during the winter.

“Zone 2 definitely helped me become the cyclist I am,” he explained. “But in recent years, I already had that huge endurance base.”

Introducing different types of training, he believes, has allowed him to keep progressing rather than relying entirely on the methods that brought him his first major successes.

Endurance training nevertheless remains an important part of his programme.

“I still do a lot of zone 2 training because I'm used to it, and I also like riding fast all day,” Pogačar said.

Pogačar is not convinced that impressive power figures or laboratory test results necessarily translate into success on the road.

“I never thought tests were a real indicator of your potential, because we can all do great tests for an hour on the indoor trainer,” he said.

“I know many cyclists who have done incredible tests, with incredible numbers in training, and then don't perform the same way in a race or on the road.”

Nor does he believe the strongest rider on paper will always come out on top.

“Many cyclists, even with lower numbers, can win big races because so many things can happen in cycling, and you also have to be smart on the bike to win. It's not all about the numbers.”

Pogačar had little idea how far he could go when he joined UAE Team Emirates at the end of 2018. His first professional season with the team quickly suggested he had a considerable future, winning the Volta ao Algarve in February 2019 before adding the Tour of California in May, both at just 20 years old.

Even those victories did not convince him that winning the Tour de France was a realistic prospect.

“I never thought I could win the Tour de France,” he admitted. “It was a slow process, although in the end everything happened too quickly for me.”

Pogačar also acknowledged that genetics plays a part in his physical abilities, particularly when asked about the muscular development of his lower back.

While specific gym exercises can help strengthen that area, he believes there is only so much a rider can achieve without the right natural predisposition.

“I'm lucky to have strong glutes and quadriceps, or whatever, although I think all cyclists have them,” he said.

Pogačar has also spent more time in the gym this year, though he is less convinced that simply adding more sessions is worthwhile. He takes a similar view of cognitive training, which he does not currently include in his programme.

“You can train and work on so many things, but at the end of the day there are only 24 hours,” he said. “You have to prioritise what's most important and use whatever time you have left to recover.”