{"id":229985,"date":"2025-10-21T13:08:12","date_gmt":"2025-10-21T13:08:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/229985\/"},"modified":"2025-10-21T13:08:12","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T13:08:12","slug":"pogacar-and-girmays-manager-reveals-how-his-riders-stay-happy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/229985\/","title":{"rendered":"Pogacar and Girmay\u2019s manager reveals how his riders stay happy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Alex Carera is the most influential manager of cyclists in the cycling world. The Italian is the right-hand man of Tadej Pogacar<\/a>, but with cyclists such as Biniam Girmay<\/a> and Jasper Philipsen, he has even more world-class cyclists under his wing. From Andorra, Carera spoke with Marca<\/a> and had something positive to say about almost all of the top cyclists in his portfolio.<\/p>\n

Carera has been working with Pogacar since 2016. \u201cAnd he is still the same man I knew back then,\u201d says the Italian. \u201cOf course, he has more responsibility now: if they ask you for 100 photos, you can say yes 100 times, but if it’s 5,000, it’s more difficult. Yet in his daily life, in the way he interacts with people, he is still the same Tadej.\u201d<\/p>\n

That same Tadej is the best cyclist in the world in 2025, and that obviously has consequences. \u201cI get a lot of phone calls, and 95% of them are impossible to answer. Just today, when we were in Andorra, there were requests for four different events: one in South Africa, one in Ecuador, one in the United States and one here. All on the same day. It\u2019s always like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Continue reading below the photo!<\/p>\n

\"tadej-pogacar\"\/Carera knows how Pogacar stays happy: “Normality protects them”At times like these, Carera sticks to an old principle. \u201cTo have a great season, you need to have a great winter. Train, rest, recover physically and mentally. Without that, no miracle is worth it.\u201d The Italian also knows that this requires time with his fianc\u00e9e Urska Zigart.<\/a> \u201cHe needs to be with someone who makes him feel good.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSpending time with Urska, in Monaco, watching a film or TV series, or just staying at home. That\u2019s what makes him Tadej,\u201d says Carera. \u201cBecause to her, he\u2019s Tadej, not Pogacar; and to him, she\u2019s Urska, not Zigart, the athlete. This normality protects them, brings them balance,\u201d says the manager of numerous world-class cyclists.<\/p>\n

Continue reading below the photo!<\/p>\n

\"tadej-pogacar-urska-zigart-2\"\/Carera saw “Girmay’s breakthrough change the rules of the game”<\/p>\n

In addition to Pogacar, the Italian also has riders such as Biniam Girmay, Maxim van Gils, Jasper Philipsen, and Cian Uijtdebroeks in his portfolio. \u201cI’ve been through some very complex transfers,\u201d Carera admits. \u201cThe kind that keep you awake at night: international contracts, unpredictable tax rules, sponsors pulling in different directions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, the Italian knows what he’s doing it all for. \u201cWhen everything falls into place, when you see the rider calm and satisfied, you know it was worth the effort.\u201d According to Carera, that’s becoming more difficult than before in a \u201ctransfer market that increasingly resembles soccer.\u201d For example, he found the much-discussed transfer of Van Gils to be the most complicated move.<\/p>\n

But for the Italian, it is Girmay who has really changed the market. “His breakthrough has changed the rules of the game. Not only because of his victories, but also because of what he represents. Africa is no longer a promise, it is a reality. Girmay has paved the way for the commercial, cultural, and sporting world of cycling.”<\/p>\n

Continue reading below the photo!<\/p>\n

\"alex“Having 50 or 51 million in the bank doesn’t change anything”<\/p>\n

\u201cHis image broadens horizons, increases the audience and attracts brands. He is a symbol of modernity,\u201d says Carera, who represents another golden boy in Isaac Del Toro. \u201cHe is pure talent, but also a brain. He has something very special. He represents that new generation that understands that a cyclist’s career is not only measured by immediate victories. His peak is still a long way off, but his time will come.\u201d<\/p>\n

So it’s a pretty chaotic existence, but Carera remains calm amid all the chaos. \u201cMy job is not to earn more, but to be happy. Sometimes you have to accept that you earn a little less in order to live better. Having 50 or 51 million in the bank doesn’t change anything. What changes is treating yourself well,\u201d says the Italian.<\/p>\n

Because Carera also knows: \u201cWhen a rider is happy, he performs better. If he maintains that bond with his teammates and the team, everything flows. At UAE, Tadej spends more time with them than with his own parents. That family is what sustains his greatness. Working with him is an honor. Not only because he is the best, but because behind the champion lies an exceptional person,” the manager concludes with praise.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Alex Carera is the most influential manager of cyclists in the cycling world. The Italian is the right-hand…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":229986,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[569],"tags":[64,63,784,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-229985","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-cycling","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229985","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=229985"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229985\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/229986"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=229985"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=229985"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=229985"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}