Insiders at UAE Emirates-XRG revealed how the outrageous seated accelerations Poga\u010dar used to obliterate Jonas Vingegaard<\/a> on the Hautacam and beat back Visma-Lease a Bike<\/a> in the Alps were forged in the gym.<\/p>\n \u201cCore training is a big part of Tadej\u2019s ability to stay seated when he attacks with his shorter cranks,\u201d team performance coordinator Jeroen Swart told L\u2019Equipe<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cPedaling at a higher frequency is beneficial when seated,\u201d Swart said. \u201cStrengthening the core is needed to do this.\u201d<\/p>\n Poga\u010dar landed into, and then defended, his fourth yellow jersey in his saddle.<\/p>\n The 26-year-old wreaked havoc with a hyper-cadence seated acceleration that blew away Vingegaard and Visma while they stood mashing in the pedals.<\/p>\n The new trademark move was made possible by Poga\u010dar becoming a gym bro.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you\u2019re seated, you have to rely on force from holding the pelvis steady,\u201d Swart said. \u201cIf you can create more stability by having done more strength work, you can do that for longer.<\/p>\n \u201cThat means when Tadej is attacking in the saddle, he\u2019s still got some physiological reserve. He can then use that by getting out of the saddle,\u201d Swart told Dan Lloyd in a recent video on the <\/a>Global Cycling Network<\/a><\/p>\n Poga\u010dar and his short crank, high cadence, core training era Poga\u010dar\u2019s all-seated attacks became a trend since the appointment of his new trainer Javier Sola in early 2024.<\/p>\n The Spanish staffer shook up Pogi\u2019s performance program by increasing the focus on strength work and heat training, and tilting the balance on his intervals.<\/p>\n Parallel to that, Poga\u010dar and team biomechanist David Herrero gambled on the much-discussed downsize to 165mm cranks<\/a>.<\/p>\n It was a bike fitting tweak to achieve a more aggressive, mechanically safer bike position.<\/p>\n The offset? Pogi would need to spin faster for peak power \u2013 something most easily achieved in the saddle.<\/p>\n Tadej Pogacar made Hautacam look like Cipressa, after an epic leadout by the same Johnny Narvaez. Vingegaard didn\u2019t stand a chance. Fair to say that yesterday\u2019s crash didn\u2019t affect him at all, good to see but hope the Tour isn\u2019t over.#TDF2025<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/bRU8oGwCqO<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Mihai Simion (@faustocoppi60) July 17, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n The peloton has been swinging in the pedals ever since Poga\u010dar shaved multiple millimeters<\/a> from his crank arms.<\/p>\n Herrero and Sola hotwired Poga\u010dar into a demolition derby that\u2019s run through the Giro d\u2019Italia, two Tours de France, countless monuments, and the road worlds.<\/p>\n Strength and weight for the spring classics Poga\u010dar\u2019s buzzsawing surges became more evident than ever this season.<\/p>\n Poga\u010dar was planted solid on top of his saddle while he tore the legs off Tom Pidcock in March at Strade Bianche. There were similar scenes one month later when he dropped Mads and MVDP at the Tour of Flanders.<\/p>\n Vingegaard was the next victim. Poga\u010dar deployed his vicious 110rpm+ accelerations<\/a> to devastating effect this summer at the Crit\u00e9rium du Dauphin\u00e9 and Tour de France.<\/p>\n Poga\u010dar\u2019s new preference for seated power appears a byproduct of his quest to crush the cobblestones of spring.<\/a><\/p>\n The Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix are won with high-torque seated efforts that provide traction over slick stones.<\/p>\n \u201cThe biggest change for Tadej this year was his schedule,\u201d Swart said of Poga\u010dar\u2019s monument ambition.<\/p>\n \u201cWe focused first on gaining muscle mass because one-day races require more explosiveness,\u201d Swart told L\u2019Equipe. \u201cHe didn\u2019t lose weight, and did more strength work. And he started his mountain sessions later in the season.\u201d<\/p>\n In early 2024, Poga\u010dar was stripping weight and climbing mountains in advance of the Giro d\u2019Italia.<\/p>\n This winter, Pogi took his rainbow stripes to the strength center.<\/p>\n How to train like a pro during off season, Tadej Pogacar edition pic.twitter.com\/VRCrbQbE7Q<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Domestique (@Domestique___) December 4, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n Built in the weights room, practiced with torque intervals<\/p>\n Poga\u010dar has been working with S&C coach Alexandre Bacilli, the VIP practitioner to Monaco\u2019s sporting millionaires, for several years.<\/p>\n The strength guru rolled out a conditioning regime for Poga\u010dar that targets every cobbles-crushing micro-muscle.<\/p>\n Behind-the-scenes reels<\/a> show how the Bosu balls, resistance bands, and blood-flow restriction straps<\/a> of \u201cProject Six Pack\u201d became as important to Pogi as his head unit and power meter.<\/p>\n But bike races aren\u2019t won in the weight room alone.<\/p>\n Poga\u010dar realized his gym gains with a renewed focus on the low-cadence torque intervals investigated here<\/a> by Velo\u2018s pro training sleuth Zach Nehr.<\/p>\n \u201cFunctional strength is also doing strength work on the bike, such as low-cadence riding,\u201d said UAE Emirates performance chief Swart. \u201cHead units now measure newton meters, so it\u2019s possible to do torque intervals.<\/p>\n \u201cThe mixture of torque and power intervals is important for optimal performance,\u201d Swart said.<\/p>\n Why stay seated? Poga\u010dar\u2019s second victory at the Tour of Flanders and a near miss at Paris-Roubaix prove all those unsexy strength sessions paid off.<\/p>\n His cobbles-conditioned core paid big on the pavement, too. Just check out all his high-mountain KOMs<\/a> from the Tour.<\/p>\n Seated accelerations are more aerobically and aerodynamically efficient on all surfaces.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have a lot more explosivity out of the saddle because you change the center of mass,\u201d Swart explained.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re able to generate a much higher force out of the seat, for a short time. But being out of the seat becomes pretty inefficient after 15-20 seconds.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t hold [a standing attack] for long because your oxygen cost goes up, and your drag increases because you have a higher frontal area,\u201d Swart told GCN.<\/p>\n Poga\u010dar\u2019s standing attacks became the final, not the first, bullet in the chamber.<\/p>\n I remember the backlash I got when I first said that I think Poga\u010dar has changed his attacking style, trading his explosive bursts for sustained 60- to 90-second efforts without even getting out of the saddle<\/p>\n Such an effective way to get separation\u200d\u2642\ufe0f<\/p>\n pic.twitter.com\/aPdqXAO416<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Inside Out (@InsideOut2912) June 13, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Another benefit to a rock-solid core?<\/p>\n Team bike-fitter Herrero hailed Poga\u010dar\u2019s newfound strength and flexibility as crucial to him achieving a longer, lower time trial position.<\/a><\/p>\n Core strength: Another part of the Poga\u010dar blueprint Of course, Poga\u010dar\u2019s 18-month obliteration of the WorldTour wasn\u2019t only because he did a bunch of sit-ups and split squats.<\/p>\n A psoas of steel was the final enabler of a physiological freakery<\/a> created from high-carb fueling, heat training, an optimized altitude program, and very good genes.<\/p>\n \u201cThere isn\u2019t one factor, but five or six, without really knowing which one has more influence than another,\u201d Swart said. \u201cBut all together, we can see this incredible improvement.\u201d<\/p>\n So if you\u2019re already eating 120g of carbohydrates per hour while spinning your micro-cranks in a \u201cheat suit,\u201d<\/a> you better go sign up to a strength class, too.<\/p>\n
\n![\"Tadej](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Tadej-Pogacar-Colnago-Y1RS-tour-de-france-2025-yellow-3-1200x800.jpg\")
Poga\u010dar\u2019s Tour de France Y1RS, complete with 165mm cranks. (Photo: Leon Van Bon and Fizza\/Colnago)<\/p>\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/CAuldPhoto-2025-Flanders-7250-1200x800.jpg\")
Poga\u010dar hit the gym more in preparation for the classics. (Photo: Chris Auld \/ Velo)<\/p>\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/CAuldPhoto-2025-TourdeFrance-Stage16-0687-1200x800.jpg\")
Poga\u010dar parried Visma-Lease a Bike\u2019s attacks in the Alps from the seat. (Photo: Chris Auld \/ Velo)<\/p>\n
\n![\"Poga\u010dar\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Z8B_4205-Edit-1200x750.jpg\")
Want to pedal like Poga\u010dar? Don\u2019t skip your sit-ups. (Photo: Gruber Images \/ Velo)<\/p>\n