Pogacar wears special training jerseys to avoid fans, says agent Carera

In mid-winter, Jonas Vingegaard crashed during a training session in Spain after an amateur rider was close behind Vingegaard and was filming him before the Dane went down. Even more so, there have been instances where riders have told people to stop filming them or simply tried to ignore it.

Speaking on the Domestique Hotseat, Carera compared cycling’s open road training environment with sports such as football, where athletes train in controlled settings.

“Yeah, this is a big problem now in cycling. Not during the race, but during training for sure. Because other athletes, the football players, the basketball players or the rugby players, when they need to train they are in the stadium, where there is security. Cycling is impossible because you need to go on the road.”

One solution that has been implemented for riders like Tadej Pogačar is ensuring someone always accompanies him during training. As Carera explained, “we decided from last year and we agreed with the team management of UAE Team Emirates, Mauro Gianetti.”

There was also some creative thinking involved to give Pogačar more space during training. “Tadej received a different jersey, a different colour jersey with the same UAE sponsors, but in red, blue and yellow. Why? Because people lose 10 seconds, 20 seconds to recognise him and by that time he is already too far,” said Carera.

Without that change, Carera says too many people would try to stop Pogačar for photos with the multiple Tour de France winner.

Jonas Vingeggard recently spoke to Danish outlet TV2 after his training crash and explained the situation. “I think the guy who posted it actually explained it quite well. That was exactly what happened. He followed me and then I just went too fast into a corner. That was something I shouldn’t have done.”

The Dane added that if the situation worsens, additional security measures may become necessary. “When the crash had just happened, I also thought that if it continues like this and gets worse, then that’s where it ends,” he said. “Either riders will have a motorcycle with them or some kind of personal bodyguard so people can’t get close.”

Carera agreed with Vingegaard’s concerns and also supports the idea of more security for riders. “What Jonas says is a real problem. I don’t know what will happen in the future, but maybe the possibility of having someone follow the athletes to guarantee more security could be the next step.”

Pogačar himself has also experienced harassment while training. After a ride in February, he posted on the training platform Strava: “Long day ended with losing biggest fan, btw I love you all. Heck I even like the fans that are not my supporters but don’t have the attitude of spoiled teenager.”

Listen to the full Hotseat podcast with Alex Carera👇