At the UAE Team Emirates – XRG training camp<\/a>, preparation is industrial in scale. \u201cRiders arrive with the old bikes they trained on all year,\u201d Kavcnik explained. \u201cHere they receive new ones.\u201d<\/p>\nWhat follows is weeks of meticulous comparison, adjustment and recording. \u201cMechanics and the staff responsible for bike fitting check every detail,\u201d he said. \u201cWe make adjustments if needed, adapt saddles, positions on time trial bikes. This process runs practically throughout the entire camp.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the final days, every change is logged before riders leave with their new machines. \u201cThere are around 30 professional riders here, about 15 from the development team and a few juniors,\u201d Kavcnik said. \u201cAll bikes are checked every day and often thoroughly cleaned.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the mechanics, the workload is relentless. \u201cFor the men\u2019s team alone there are ten mechanics here,\u201d he said. \u201cEach mechanic is responsible for a specific number of riders.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Benidorm camp also serves another function. It exposes new riders and staff to the realities of top level cycling. \u201cIn these two weeks you quickly see who knows what, how people work and what their attitude towards work and the team is like,\u201d Kavcnik said.<\/p>\n
A season built by hand<\/p>\n
Away from racing, Kavcnik\u2019s off season is spent assembling bikes, sometimes in overwhelming numbers. \u201cThe 2025 season was extremely demanding for us,\u201d he said. \u201cWe had to build nearly 300 bikes.\u201d<\/p>\n
That workload was intensified by rapid equipment evolution. \u201cWe had three road bike models,\u201d Kavcnik said. \u201cWe started with the V4Rs, continued with the V5Rs and then came the Y1Rs.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Pogacar, it meant more bike changes than at any point in his career. \u201cIn 2025, Pogacar rode more different bikes than ever before,\u201d Kavcnik said. \u201cThree base models, plus the yellow bike, the black one and the special world champion bike.\u201d<\/p>\n
Each change added pressure. \u201cEvery bike has to be prepared perfectly, down to the smallest detail,\u201d he said. \u201cTadej expects that, and to be honest, he deserves nothing less.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pressure inside the team car<\/p>\n
Race days move Kavcnik from workshop to convoy, where preparation meets chaos. \u201cYou always have to stay alert,\u201d he said. \u201cSometimes a mechanic in the car even falls asleep because the pace and schedule are brutal.\u201d<\/p>\n
The days are long and unforgiving. \u201cSometimes I start at six in the morning and go to bed at midnight,\u201d Kavcnik said. \u201cThe car is sometimes the only place where you can briefly close your eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even then, the tension does not disappear. \u201cYou constantly wonder whether everything will be okay,\u201d he said. \u201cThat tension is always present, but with experience it becomes a little easier.\u201d<\/p>\n
When incidents happen, protocol takes over. “You wait until the car stops and only then react,\u201d Kavcnik said. \u201cThe better coordinated the driver, sports director and mechanic are, the faster and more precise the intervention.\u201d<\/p>\n
A quiet statistic from a dominant season<\/p>\n
Amid Pogacar\u2019s headline grabbing victories in 2025, one detail mattered deeply inside the team. \u201cThis season, for example, he did not have a single puncture that required a wheel change,\u201d Kavcnik said.<\/p>\n
It is a statistic he mentions cautiously. \u201cI do not like saying that out loud,\u201d he added. \u201cBut it is something we can be proud of.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Kavcnik, it reflects far more than luck. \u201cIt speaks of excellent tyres, top level equipment, and also of the rider\u2019s skill and feel for the bike,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Riders, he notes, differ dramatically in how they treat their machines. \u201cSome return from a recon ride with a bike that looks as if they deliberately searched for every puddle,\u201d he said. \u201cOthers return with a spotless bike.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pogacar belongs firmly in the latter group.<\/p>\n
Recognition and responsibility<\/p>\n
Being chosen as Pogacar\u2019s exclusive mechanic brought prestige, but also weight. \u201cOn one hand it was a huge recognition,\u201d Kavcnik said. \u201cOn the other hand it was also a massive responsibility and quite a few sleepless nights.\u201d<\/p>\n
Today, that responsibility is built into UAE\u2019s planning. \u201cThe coordinator automatically knows that for races where Pogacar is racing, I must also be sent,\u201d he said. \u201cOur calendars are practically aligned.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kavcnik often travels days ahead of Pogacar, preparing logistics, equipment and details long before the rider arrives. \u201cEvery detail must be in place,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
In modern cycling, victory is often framed through data, training plans and tactics. Kavcnik\u2019s story offers a quieter truth. At the heart of Pogacar\u2019s dominance sits something simpler and far harder to manufacture. Trust.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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