Tadej Pogacar made his debut with UAE Team Emirates – XRG back in 2019 at the Tour Down Under, and seven years later he may make a return. The World Champion has only raced in Australian back in that week in 2019 and also at the 2022 World Championships, but without success. May he want to change that this January?

During a broadcast at RAI Sport, one of Italy’s most well-informed pundits Beppe Conti shared a lot of information he has on the World Champion. Whether it is accurate or not will be found out with time, however there are reasons to believe this is to happen in the space of a few months.

“Tadej Pogacar asked his team to debut already in January, he wants to go in Australia and ride Tour Down Under. The rest of the calendar will be the same,” Conti explained. He also added that Pogacar would not race the Giro d’Italia and that the leadership should be in the hands of Isaac del Toro who rode to a second place this year.

This would be a change of pace for the Slovenian who has a similar list of goals every year, with much success it must be said. But fearing a routine or the consequences of a set schedule every year with the same races, he has over the past few seasons tried out different locations to start off his season.

Australia next? 

In 2020 Pogacar started his season at the Volta a Comunitat Valenciana, 2021, 2022 and 2025 he was at the UAE Tour, 2023 he was at the Clasica Jaen Paraiso Interior and in 2024 he opened up his season directly with Strade Bianche.

A return to UAE is unlikely once again despite the sponsor pressure, the team has other options such as Isaac del Toro, João Almeida and Adam Yates capable of winning there. For the first time in this decade he could be starting his season in January, before returning to Europe and easing into a serious return to competition at Strade Bianche.