Two kilos, or around 4.5lb, of cobble-busting brawn.<\/p>\n
Unlike almost other rider in the peloton, Poga\u010dar welcomes weight gain in the winter.<\/p>\n
He heads into off-season a lithe climber who makes winning Il Lombardia a formality and returns a few months later wearing a coating of cobble-conquering muscle.<\/p>\n
The changes are subtle, but crucial.<\/p>\n
The thighs are brawnier, and the shoulders are beefier. Even the cheeks of cycling\u2019s baby-faced assassin are fuller after a metamorphosis that reverses traditional beliefs about \u201crace weight.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a heretical makeover that\u2019s made Poga\u010dar a modern GOAT with the most complete palmar\u00e8s in the active peloton.<\/p>\n
Just 2kg the key to year-round versatility
\n![\"Poga\u010dar](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Z8A_8736-1200x800.jpg\"\/)
Poga\u010dar becomes noticeably more muscular for the spring classics. (Photo: Gruber Images )<\/p>\n
Speaking to L\u2019Equipe\u00a0last week ahead of De Ronde, Poga\u010dar explained his winter gains.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not ideal to be the lightest for the classics,\u201d Poga\u010dar told L\u2019Equipe. \u201cThat\u2019s the key to being strong. I\u2019m a kilo-and-a-half or two kilos heavier. But it\u2019s mostly muscle thanks to a lot of exercises with the physiotherapist.\u201d<\/p>\n
Poga\u010dar wielded that muscle to devastating effect last weekend at the Tour of Flanders.<\/p>\n
A rock-solid core<\/a> kept him planted in the saddle when he pumped watts into the vertical cobbles of the Paterberg. Mathieu van der Poel and Remco Evenepoel were like inflatable noodles as they flapped and rocked on his wheel.<\/p>\n The hench haunches Poga\u010dar sculpted through a winter of weight training blasted them both out of his draft on the clattering stones of the Kwaremont.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Poga\u010dar makes small tweaks to his musculature in the winter to deliver outsize wins in the spring.<\/p>\n The 27-year-old is now on a record-equaling three wins in De Ronde, and the favorite (no, really) for Paris-Roubaix this weekend.<\/p>\n Poga\u010dar\u2019s strength training secrets Poga\u010dar\u2019s seasonal shape-shifting is rooted in a training philosophy he embraced at the start of 2024.<\/p>\n A switch in coach from long-time mentor I\u00f1igo San Mill\u00e1n to visionary physiologist Javier Sola was a catalyst for Poga\u010dar\u2019s merciless rise.<\/p>\n Strength training, torque intervals, heat sessions, and a new approach to zone 2<\/a> made Poga\u010dar unbeatable from February through the \u201cRace of the Falling Leaves.\u201d The charred remains of climbing records ranging from the 40-minute Hautacam<\/a> to the 9-minute Cipressa<\/a> were left in his wake.<\/p>\n The strength component was perhaps the most crucial to how Poga\u010dar has amassed his unthinkably wide palmar\u00e8s.<\/p>\n A commitment to the weight room made Poga\u010dar robust for the harsh cobbles and foul weather of the northern classics. There\u2019s a reason why skinny boys like Valentin Paret-Peintre and Matthew Riccitello don\u2019t line up in the Flemish spring.<\/p>\n \u201cThe biggest change for Tadej this year was his schedule,\u201d UAE training co-ordinator Jeroen Swart said late last year.<\/p>\n \u201cWe focused first on gaining muscle mass because one-day races require more explosiveness,\u201d Swart said. \u201cHe didn\u2019t lose weight, and did more strength work. And he started his mountain sessions later in the season.\u201d<\/p>\n Seated attacks are the winning weapon of spring Winning attacks on greasy cobblestones are made in the saddle. They call on massive pelvic stability and titanic torque through the psoas and hips.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why Sola, Swart, and Poga\u010dar hooked up with Alexandre Bacilli, the PT of the Monaco elite.<\/p>\n The assignment? Core strength and explosive force.<\/p>\n The result? A few extra kilos but an oversized impact on race-breaking power.<\/p>\n \u201cHe has improved significantly compared to last year,\u201d Poga\u010dar\u2019s nutritionist Gorka Prieto last week told L\u2019Equipe. \u201cWeight naturally increases with strength training, but we don\u2019t set a specific number; we focus on the power-to-weight ratio.\u201d<\/p>\n Those gains also translate to the HC climbs of the Tour de France.<\/p>\n Poga\u010dar\u2019s high-cadence seated attacks were built in a gym in Monaco, translated through a set of micro-cranks, and unleashed all over the general classification of Le Tour.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Poga\u010dar\u2019s strength regimen is a closely guarded secret. Fragmented behind-the-scenes reels and pithy insights about core workouts are about as much intel as we get.<\/p>\n But the impact is clear, both on the results sheet and the photo galleries.<\/p>\n The Poga\u010dar who outmuscled MVDP at the Tour of Flanders last week was bigger from shoulder to ankle than the Poga\u010dar who vanquished Jonas Vingegaard for a fourth victory at the Tour de France.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can\u2019t really focus on one specific part of the body,\u201d Prieto said. \u201cHe needs to be lean, with a low body fat percentage, but still strong enough to stay healthy and recover after training.\u201d<\/p>\n Poga\u010dar\u2019s devotion to low-cadence torque intervals ensures every ounce of muscle he does gain is trained to translate through the pedals.<\/p>\n Poga\u010dar balances cobblestone clout with climbing potential Poga\u010dar\u2019s metamorphosis between climbing ace and classics annihilator proves that not all weight is bad.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a philosophy that\u2019s becoming widely accepted by a peloton that takes creatine<\/a>, does deadlifts<\/a>, and pounds protein<\/a>.<\/p>\n But for Poga\u010dar, it\u2019s not straightforward. He cannot let the scales tip too far north.<\/p>\n Three months after being strong for De Ronde, he\u2019s got to be svelte for Le Tour.<\/p>\n And besides, even the brawniest cobble bashers suffer if they get too stacked.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you look at my best results in the classics, more or less two kilos has made the difference,\u201d Belgium\u2019s beloved beefcake Wout van Aert recently told Het Laatste Nieuws<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThese races are 250 kilometers now. Carrying two kilos less all day can give you that one percent in the final,\u201d Van Aert said.<\/p>\n Riders of all sizes must watch both weight and watts in this explosive and unpredictable new era of racing.<\/p>\n And for Poga\u010dar, the margins are even finer. The coat of extra muscle he gains in winter needs to be cut by mid-summer.<\/p>\n But fortunately for him, it seems that even in the off-season, the GOAT isn\u2019t prone to bloat.<\/p>\n \u201cHe doesn\u2019t gain much weight in the winter \u2013 between one and one-and-a-half kilos, never six,\u201d team UAE nutritionist Prieto told L\u2019Equipe. \u201cOut of season, it\u2019s a bit of fat. But in season, no: he trains hard and does strength training.\u201d<\/p>\n The days of riders going full Ullrich in an off-season of excess are long gone in today\u2019s hyper-professional peloton.<\/p>\n Altitude, apps, and a different training structure for the Tour de France Like nearly all teams in the WorldTour, UAE Team Emirates uses a nutrition app so riders can hit their \u201cracing weight\u201d with precision focus.<\/p>\n Algorithms and AI models spit out macronutrient targets based on training load to ensure any weight gain is intentional and productive, and those who are cutting back hold power and stay healthy<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cHere, we have a plan, and he sticks to it. He follows the daily menu like all the other riders,\u201d Prieto said. \u201cThe rest of the time, he knows what he has to do, and he\u2019s allowed some indulgences.<\/p>\n \u201cIf he burns 6,000 calories, he can certainly have a croissant during the week,\u201d Prieto joked, perhaps thinking back to all those reels featuring pastries, patisserie, and pockets stuffed with fresh pain.<\/a><\/p>\n Poga\u010dar told L\u2019Equipe ahead of Tour of Flanders he weighed in at 66kg that morning.<\/p>\n He\u2019s unlikely to see the scales tip that far again until the offseason.<\/p>\n After Roubaix this weekend, he will methodically strip weight to become mountain-fit for the Tour de France.<\/p>\n Even at 6,000 calories a day<\/a>, the metabolic toll of extended trips to altitude and a higher-volume training program will carve away the first layers without much effort.<\/p>\n Food scales, nutrition apps, and dietary discipline carve the final few grams to produce Poga\u010dar\u2019s leanest, meanest summer frame. His calves, quads, and cheekbones will become more chiseled as staffers watch on, preventing a tip to any dangerous extreme.<\/a><\/p>\n The watts per kilo equation has two sides<\/p>\n Poga\u010dar\u2019s ability to subtly transform his physique is an intriguing case study into the less sexy side of cycling performance.<\/p>\n But the watts-per-kilo equation has two sides, and in some cases, it can be a good thing to increase both the numerator and the denominator.<\/p>\n
\n![\"Poga\u010dar](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Z8B_0047-1200x750.jpg\"\/)
Poga\u010dar and his entourage identified weight and muscle gain as crucial to his chances at Flanders and Roubaix. (Photo: Gruber Images)<\/p>\n
\n![\"Poga\u010dar](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Z8A_9074-1200x750.jpg\"\/)
Riders stay seated on even the steepest cobbles to prevent their rear wheel skipping beneath them. (Photo: Gruber Images)<\/p>\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Z8A_2501-1200x800.jpg\"\/)
Poga\u010dar shifts shape to be able to battle MVDP in spring and Vingegaard in summer \u2013 and occasionally, both at once. (Photo: Gruber Images)<\/p>\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Z8B_4567-1200x896.jpg\"\/)
Poga\u010dar cuts back through summer to maximise his climbing potential for the Tour de France. (Photo: Gruber Images)<\/p>\n