After a stunning classics campaign capped on Sunday with a fourth win at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Tadej Pogacar (27) will shift his focus from Tuesday onwards on the roads of Romandía, Switzerland, toward his summer objective: a fifth Tour de France victory.
The Slovenian powerhouse has competed in only five race days in 2026 so far, notching four wins (Strade Bianche, Milan-San Remo, Tour of Flanders, Liège) and a runner-up finish (Paris-Roubaix, behind Wout Van Aert).
Sandwiching his high-altitude training blocks in May and June, his plan is to maintain race rhythm in the Alpine country, taking part in the Tour de Romandía (April 28 to May 3) and the Tour de Suisse (June 17 to 21). Beyond just finding his legs, the goal remains to feed an insatiable hunger for victories.
“I barely race, so when I do, it’s with the intention of winning,” the two-time world champion confirmed Sunday evening in the Liège press room, where he appeared more determined than ever after being pushed to the limit in the oldest of the classics by French phenomenon Paul Seixas (second), eight years his junior.
“Paul motivates everyone to keep improving. (…) We’ll continue working hard to try to beat him in the coming years, and to win as much as possible… until he destroys us all,” the UAE leader said.
A mountain test
In just over two months, Seixas could well be racing his first Tour de France. At the end of it, Pogacar aims to join the group of five-time winners: Anquetil, Merckx, Hinault, and Induráin.
In Romandía, the Slovenian will find ideal terrain to showcase his climbing abilities. After a short (3.2 km) prologue stage on Tuesday, the next five stages feature a rolling profile, with standout first-category climbs: Ovronnaz (8.9 km at 9.8%) on Wednesday, and Jaunpass (8.1 km at 8.3%) on Saturday, ahead of the summit finish at Leysin (14.3 km at 6%) on Sunday.
Sandwiched between the classics and the Giro (May 8–31), the Tour de Romandía peloton has shrunk (only 15 teams), as four World Tour squads have opted to skip this race. Yet the start list remains attractive, featuring Tadej Pogacar and riders from Red Bull-BORA-Hansgrohe, including Florian Lipowitz (3rd in last year’s Tour de France) and Primož Roglič (four-time Vuelta a España winner).
Mentions: Road Cycling, Tadej Pogacar, Tour de Romandie, Tours, Tour de France