Tadej Pogačar's team sports manager has given insight into why the Slovenian raced defensively in the final week of the Tour de France, describing it as neither fun for him nor for the spectators.
In a marked contrast to the world champion's propensity to attack, Pogačar rode conservatively in the final few mountain stages of the final week, defending a more-than-four-minute lead over Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) to ensure he brought home a fourth yellow jersey.
Pogačar grew visibly tired in the latter stages, physically and mentally, with some onlookers even suggesting he was bored at times. UAE Team Emirates-XRG sports manager Joxean Fernández Matxin has stated that this was due to him going against his "nature".
"He likes to be competitive, and since we had to defend and wait for attacks, that kind of defence isn't fun, neither for the spectator nor for him," Matxin told Spanish newspaper AS, in an extensive post-Tour interview.
"It's in our nature to go on the attack, but when you have a four-minute lead in the standings, you also have to be consistent.
"We're used to attacking 80km from the finish, 50km from the finish... now anything that involves waiting until the end seems boring. Why? Because these same riders are the ones who have made racing seem like it's always on from the start and have accustomed us to it."
Maintaining Pogačar's motivation and ensuring he doesn't grow bored with the Tour is key to their success, and just last week, UAE's Head of Performance Jeroen Swart said not doing so was the only thing that could derail the peak he is currently operating at.
"I think he's really at his peak. The question now is how long we can keep him at this level, and it's no longer a question of age, but mainly of motivation," said Swart to L'Equipe.
"With Tadej, the most important thing is to maintain his enthusiasm. He loves what's new, like trying Paris-Roubaix or trying to win Milan-San Remo.
"In some ways, the Tour is a puzzle, you know. You have to be good in time trials, in the mountains, stay healthy, and not crash, but there's nothing new. That's why he wanted to ride the Giro, and now that he's done it, he wants to win Roubaix to keep his motivation up and maintain his level."
Pogačar himself also spoke to the same publication and further corroborated this theory, that he needs to keep his schedule fresh to ensure his interest and motivation remain high.
A debut at Paris-Roubaix is the most recent example of that this past season, and he'll most certainly be back after crashing in the finale and finishing second to Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck).
"I have goals left until the end of the season, but not many races left. Then I'm going to take a break, enjoy the rest period, and think about preparing for next season," Pogačar told L'Equipe.
"I want to win Paris-Roubaix in particular. This year, for my first participation, I found this race crazy; my second place was already incredible. I want to come back."
Matxin agreed with Swart in that he, too, believes this is the way forward for Pogačar, but didn't rule out cycling's best rider finding even higher levels in future.
"Partly, by making several changes to the schedule," is how Matxin answered the question of how to keep Pogačar motivated.
"For example, after winning the Volta a Catalunya, we looked to the Classics as motivation to push ourselves and prepare differently.
"The Tour of Flanders is probably more exciting because you have to be in the right place at the right time, rather than waiting for someone to attack you, as happened on the final mountain day of the Tour. We saw a slightly more boring stage in La Plagne, but the leader isn't the one who has to attack. And that's not a criticism," he added.
"What need did Tadej have to attack so far out in La Plagne like Hautacam? He had four stage wins, the overall, and perhaps the lack of competitiveness bored us all a bit."
Matxin described him as "cycling perfection" and "without a doubt" the best talent he has ever seen throughout his career. And for the moment, at least, he believes the motivation is there for him to still get better yet.
"Yes [there is room for improvement], because I've seen that improvement in him so far," said Matxin.
"He's given us feedback that he's getting better. Also speaking with [his coach] Javier Sola, the nutritionist. We see that he still has room for improvement, the motivation to do so, and that it can be achieved."
