{"id":423425,"date":"2026-02-13T10:36:16","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T10:36:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/423425\/"},"modified":"2026-02-13T10:36:16","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T10:36:16","slug":"champions-like-tadej-are-good-for-this-sport-why-tadej-pogacars-dominance-does-not-trouble-a-peloton-veteran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/423425\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cChampions like Tadej are good for this sport\u201d \u2013 Why Tadej Pogacar\u2019s dominance does not trouble a peloton veteran"},"content":{"rendered":"


\nWith his own career entering its later chapters<\/a>, those reflections naturally extend to questions of balance, motivation, and what comes next.A peloton getting younger, faster, and harder to sustain<\/p>\n

Ulissi does not hide how different the sport feels compared to when he first turned professional. The biggest change, he explains, is how quickly young riders are now pushed towards the highest level.<\/p>\n

\u201cEnormously since I turned professional. In my early years, I didn\u2019t race as much; the idea was to protect young riders and let them grow gradually. Now, from junior level, they train the same way we do and eat the same way.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the progression is undeniably faster, Ulissi questions what that acceleration means for career longevity at the top level.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe progression is faster, but I think careers as professionals are shorter. I don\u2019t know if that\u2019s good or bad, but that\u2019s how it is. I personally believe in doing things more gradually.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is a view shaped by experience rather than resistance to change. For Ulissi, the issue is not performance but sustainability, especially in a peloton where physical demands increase year on year.<\/p>\n

\"Diego<\/p>\n

Ulissi arguably reached his career peak in 2025, wearing the maglia rosa at the Giro d’Italia<\/p>\n

Respect for dominance rather than fatigue<\/p>\n

Despite cycling\u2019s current era being defined by overwhelming winners, Ulissi shows no frustration at the sight of repeated dominance. On the contrary, he believes it benefits the sport.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, not at all. Champions like Tadej are good for this sport.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ulissi knows Pogacar well from their time as teammates and speaks about him with clear admiration rather than distance. \u201cI know him, he was my teammate. He\u2019s a very humble guy, an example.\u201d<\/p>\n

Watching racing as a fan still brings him enjoyment, something he sees as vital for cycling\u2019s wider appeal. \u201cWhen I\u2019m at home watching races, I enjoy seeing him ride, just like I enjoy watching others such as Van der Poel. That\u2019s good for cycling.\u201d<\/p>\n

Longevity, maturity, and choosing the right moment<\/p>\n

Staying competitive as the years pass is something Ulissi approaches with realism. Physical decline, he admits, is unavoidable, but experience brings its own advantages.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s difficult because the years pass. I want to remain competitive. If a victory comes, I\u2019ll be happier.\u201d<\/p>\n

What changes most with age is how effort is used. \u201cWith age, you become more mature: it\u2019s important to use your energy well, because you can\u2019t do the same things you could at 25. You have to choose the right moment in a race.\u201d<\/p>\n

That measured approach also shapes how he views objectives, favouring clarity over pressure. \u201cI don\u2019t think you should set big objectives. You have to try to do things well: train well, eat well, do things properly. And live it with a clear head.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking inward as the end approaches<\/p>\n

With a long career already behind him, Ulissi is open about how family now weighs heavily in his decisions.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m 37, I can train well, make sacrifices and be away from home. I have three young children and leaving home is traumatic. That\u2019s what I like least, being away from the people I love.\u201d<\/p>\n

For now, there is no fixed timeline on retirement, only reflection. \u201cI want to take it year by year. This year, after the Giro d\u2019Italia, I\u2019ll look inside myself. It\u2019s not just about how you perform, but also how much time you spend away from home, from your children, from your wife, from the people you love most.\u201d<\/p>\n

When the moment does come, however, Ulissi already knows where he hopes to remain.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would like to stay connected to cycling. It\u2019s a passion that I love and that I\u2019ve lived intensely for many years. I\u2019d like to remain in this environment.\u201d<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" With his own career entering its later chapters, those reflections naturally extend to questions of balance, motivation,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":423426,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[4985,112825,101,8782,128270,56,54,55,110593],"class_list":{"0":"post-423425","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-cycling","9":"tag-diego-ulissi","10":"tag-sports","11":"tag-tadej-pogacar","12":"tag-tour-of-oman","13":"tag-uk","14":"tag-united-kingdom","15":"tag-unitedkingdom","16":"tag-xds-astana-team"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/423425","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=423425"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/423425\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/423426"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=423425"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=423425"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=423425"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}