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'Tadej Pogacar would race cyclocross tomorrow if his team let him'

Tadej Pogacar’s talent was shaped on muddy fields long before he conquered the Alps. The Slovenian started out in cyclocross, a discipline that still fascinates him. UCI director of Sport Peter Van den Abeele believes the Slovenian would jump at the chance to return to his roots. As the UCI official responsible for developing the sport globally, he also sees a broader opportunity for cyclocross to grow beyond its traditional heartlands.

November 2 2025 - 5:30 PM

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In recent years, Pogacar has spoken about his fondness for the sport, often watching races on TV. And in 2021 and 2022, he even competed in his hometown of Ljubljana, winning the event on his debut.

Vandenabeele sees that passion as no coincidence. “Forget not, Tadej has also been a cyclocross rider,” he said in Het Nieuwsblad. “It’s just that his team won’t let him. Otherwise, he would start racing right away.”

Beyond individual riders, Vandenabeele’s focus is on how to strengthen and elevate cyclocross itself. The UCI is now taking concrete steps to give smaller branches of the sport more recognition.

From 2027, professional teams will be able to collect UCI points from other disciplines like cyclocross and mountain biking. “For Visma | Lease a Bike, Wout van Aert’s points in cyclocross might not matter, but for smaller teams they do,” said Vandenabeele. “Jayco-AlUla has the world mountain bike champion in its ranks, and EF Education has launched a CX team. These are all small but important steps.”

He pointed to the Roodhooft brothers as an example of how crossover between disciplines can work. “They have track cyclists, mountain bikers and cyclocross riders. It shows that a young rider can start in one discipline and still grow into a top performer on the road,” he explained.

The next big step could be Olympic recognition. The UCI is in talks with both the IOC and the French organising committee to include cyclocross in the 2030 Winter Games. “It’s not approved yet, but it’s not off the table either,” Vandenabeele said. “The IOC seems open to dropping the requirement that winter sports must be on snow or ice. An outdoor sport practiced in winter could qualify. A final decision will come before the World Championships in Hulst.”

For Vandenabeele, the Olympic dream would mark a turning point. “It would bring full recognition for cyclocross,” he said. “National federations would finally invest properly, and less talent would be lost to other disciplines. Mathieu van der Poel proves that the combination is possible, seven-time world champion in the cross and still winning monuments on the road.”