'They were so close to sending him' - Pogacar’s agent arrives Down Under as organisers push for return

Former Paris-Roubaix winner turned Tour Down Under race organiser Stuart O’Grady believes that there are positive signs regarding a potential return for the world champion in Australia in the near future, which is a mouthwatering prospect for the event.

"He's pretty excited about coming down," O'Grady said of Carera to AAP, according to the Canberra Times. "I wasn't really expecting it, that's for sure. It's a really good indication, it's a positive indication.”

The primary target of the Tour de France is what has held back a potential participation to date for Pogačar in the eyes of O’Grady, who understands the importance of the race and acknowledges that it could continue to take precedence for many years to come.

"Look, who knows, we might get to the end of 2026, and he [Pogačar] has won his fifth Tour, and he decides he wants to try and win a sixth," said O’Grady. "But all we can do is put our best proposal forward."

According to the race organiser, discussions he has recently had with the UAE hierarchy indicate that a Tour Down Under return is something that has been seriously considered for the Slovenian.

"Evidently, as was reported, he was super-keen," said O’Grady. "I spoke to Mauro Gianetti at a WorldTour seminar in Geneva last month, and they were so close to sending him.”

For O’Grady, a key factor to unlocking the Slovenian’s participation is Pogačar winning that record-equalling fifth Tour de France victory, as it’s a major goal. He hopes that if Pogačar is successful in his quest for his fifth Tour win, there might be an added temptation to try something different in his early-season schedule. 

"But I just think the lure of the fifth Tour de France title in 2026, they want to maintain the same program and schedule," said O’Grady. “After he has that hopeful fifth Tour, we'll do everything in our power to get him down to Adelaide."

After sealing overall victory at the Tour Down Under, Jay Vine was asked whether he would like to race the event alongside Tadej Pogačar in the future. “Yeah, absolutely,” Vine said to reporters, including Domestique. “If you come here with Tadej, you know he’s leading the team. It would be nice to have him here. Maybe he can get an Australian passport and come over to the Nationals with me as well.”