Tadej Pogacar’s dominance brings order to UAE’s super team according to teammate

When a roster includes multiple riders who could lead major races, with Tadej Pogačar, Isaac del Toro, and João Almeida all winning a double-figure amount of races in 2025, and with the world champion taking priority in terms of goals, friction is the easy assumption. 

Yet Johansen paints a different picture, one where clarity comes naturally because the team has an undeniable centre of gravity. Speaking to Feltet.dk, the 26-year-old rider pointed to Pogačar’s stature as the reason a dressing room full of ambition still feels aligned.

“It is good for the team to have someone like Pogačar who is simply the biggest,” Johansen said. “You could worry that some of the other stars might develop ego issues, but they will always be a bit further down the hierarchy because we have someone like Pogi who performs so well and who everyone can look up to.”

That authority is not driven by ego, Johansen insists. It comes with a lightness that makes Pogačar easy to follow, even for a team full of stars.

“He comes across as a big kid who is still hungry,” Johansen said. “Those words are exactly how I see him as well. He is a big kid who loves being on his bike. It is a pleasure to ride with him.”

Pogacar’s playful side came through at the team’s December camp when he turned the final day into a personal test on Coll de Rates, the climb riders love to measure themselves on. He went back for the KOM and went faster again, stopping the clock at 11:57, which was 24 seconds quicker than his previous best.

Johansen said the idea was Pogačar’s, baked into a final day meant to hurt. “He dictated the route on the final day of the training camp and said he wanted a really hard day, finishing by riding past Coll de Rates and taking the KOM again.”

Asked about the rumours around a burnout for Pogačar, Johansen was blunt. “As long as he still has goals, it will not be an issue. He is extremely motivated and very clear about what he wants to go for.”