Pogačar Lifts Lid on Power Numbers and Nutrition Philosophy

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Physiological phenom Tadej Pogačar rides zone two at 340 watts, doesn’t skip leg day, and won’t deny himself a little chocolate.

Those are just a few of the headline learnings from a revelatory conversation the three-time Tour de France winner and newly crowned world champion shared with “longevity” physician extraordinaire Peter Attia.

Pogačar talked training methodologies, nutrition principles, why he doesn’t always trust his power meter, and a whole lot more in a recent episode of Attia’s Drive podcast.

Pogačar has reached unprecedented levels of power in 2024.

That’s why it’s well worth noting what the 26-year-old outlier had to say to Attia about his performance philosophies.

Here are some of the key points he discussed, and why they matter.

No, really: 340 watts for five hours

Pogačar had data junkies drooling when he shared some of his mind-boggling performance stats.

UAE Emirates’ unstoppable Slovenian revealed to Attia that he pushes 320-340 watts for five hours when he’s training at zone two on hillier terrain.

That means Pogačar pedals a quad-busting 5w/kg at his all-day endurance pace when he’s at race weight [more on that later – ed].

That’s a performance ratio most weekend warriors might hope to hit for an all-out five minutes.

For a flatter zone two ride, Pogačar said he aims for 290-300 watts to accommodate for the lack of descents and increased time on the pedals.

Think those numbers sound insane?

Velo’s Zach Nehr estimates Pogačar rode at close to 7w/kg – or ~455w – for 40 minutes when he obliterated the Plateau de Beille at the Tour de France.

In short, Pogi has A LOT of power.

Yet Pogačar accepts that training, racing, and winning aren’t all about raw watts.

The 26-year-old phenom explained he employs a number of datapoints in order to dial in his pacing.

“Power meters are not so reliable these days. You need to be careful with the temperatures and calibration. Sometimes everything can be off,” Pogačar told Attia. “My best experience is to train on home roads where you can look at speed and VAM.

“You see all these three things — speed, heart rate, and power,” he said. “Then you see how you feel, and you know which zone you are really.”

Pogačar trains on speed and stoke

Pogačar controls a Yoda-esque understanding of how to meter out his attacks.

Just look at his audacious 100km assault on the peloton at road worlds, or the dozen other successful long-range raids he made in 2024.

Pogačar’s intimate understanding of his own physiology no doubt plays a part in his ability to go solo from stupid distances.

“I’ve been training with a heart rate monitor since I was 12 years old, or 10 years old. I know how my heart rate responds when I’m tired or when I’m good,” Pogačar told Attia’s Drive podcast.

“I could go by heart rate only, but it’s always good to compare heart rate to power,” Pogačar said.

Pogačar’s preferred training and pacing strategy — the triangulation of speed, heart rate, and power — is a reminder that it’s not only watts that win races.

Power is purely an input. Heart rate is only its cost. Speed is the ultimate measure of success.

One other thing Pogačar shared which we’ll readily choose to remember?

The indoor trainer is anathema.

“The stationary bike is a no-go for me,” he said. “Especially in the off-season, I don’t do it.”

Pogačar clearly knows how to train smart and race smarter.

But he also trains and races on stoke. Nobody gets that from hours of pedaling indoors while staring at a garage wall.

My favorites quotes from Tadej Pogacar is when the man is asked about certain moves and he says, “I don’t know what I was thinking”

The tornado strikes again #Zurich2024 pic.twitter.com/RXOixokxN4

— Smalls (@keepnyfresh) September 29, 2024

A heart that still pumps hard

Pogačar also shared with Attia how little his maximum heart rate has declined with age.

“When I was a  junior, I could hit 213 heart rate for shorter races, and yesterday [I hit] 203,” he said, referring to his previous day’s ride at GP Quebec. “So it was still pretty high, so I’m pretty happy.”

Heart rate metrics are unique to every rider.

A maximum of 200+ bpm is not necessarily “better” than 160, 180, or 220bpm.

What is telling is that the 26-year-old Pogačar is still only 10 beats from his teenage best. He’s suffered little of the inevitable decline that eventually hits all athletes.

Sorry Jonas, sorry Remco – Pogačar still has the aerobic capacity of a teenager, and the potential to stay strong a whole lot longer.

Pogačar doesn’t bypass a little cake

Pogačar’s heart rate hasn’t “matured” too much so far.

His approach to nutrition has.

He’s replaced the “all-in,” feast-or-famine approach that stalks so many pro cyclists with a more modern attitude toward food.

“I’m getting older, so I’m not so obsessed anymore with going cake on cake, or just eating shit,” Pogačar said of his newfound dietary control.

“My diet is the same all year round,” he said. “I never restrict too much or say to myself ‘I can’t eat cake or chocolate.’ But [I eat] in measurements, and when the time is right.”

Dieticians have become as crucial a part of a rider’s universe as their trainers and mechanics.

Their introduction to the pro peloton is helping to eliminate disordered habits and replace them with more moderate, mindful outlooks on eating.

“If you restrict too much and don’t touch chocolate for a month or for six months, one time you will break and go completely crazy,” Pogačar said. “That’s not a good relationship with food. You need to have balance, also with bad food.”

Dietitians and chefs devise sustainable weight-management strategies that are micro-managed but unrestricted. An occasional treat prevents an off-season blow-out.

“When it comes to off-season, I don’t have cravings,” Pogačar said of his dietary regime. “Now, if I go on vacation, I have nice, good quality food, not in crazy amounts, so then I don’t gain too much weight.”

Five kilos between off-season downtime and Tour de France domination

Pogačar eats more or less as he pleases.

Yet as he alludes to, weight will always be a crucial lever of elite performance.

Pogačar revealed to Attia he tipped the scales at a bony 64.5kg when he arrived at the start of the 2024 Tour de France. That’s around 5kg less than the 69kg he said he creeps up to in the winter.

“I come to the Tour with 64.5 kilos, then 65, and then 65-and-a-half,” Pogačar said. “Then around 65 after the Tour.”

Pogačar’s winter weight of 69kg is likely to be his natural “set point.” The “set point” is the size that a body naturally gravitates toward for optimal function.

Holding a hollow-cheeked “race weight” too long is a perilous endeavor that can lead to mental and physical burnout.

That’s why Pogačar started the Giro d’Italia a few more pounds heavier than what he slimmed down to for the Tour de France.

In this episode (#318) of The Drive, I speak with Tadej Pogačar (@TamauPogi), a three-time Tour de France champion. He dives into his training regimen, nutrition, and the key metrics he tracks.https://t.co/OoJxY7qG4h

— Peter Attia (@PeterAttiaMD) September 23, 2024

Feeding the beast at 120g carbohydrate per hour

Pogačar also spoke of how the development of more stomach-friendly sports nutrition has revolutionized his performance fueling.

The evolution of hydrogel technologies and improved sugar ratios lit a “carbohydrate revolution” that allows riders to fuel harder and ride faster than ever before.

“Five years ago 120 grams of carbohydrate per hour felt impossible,” Pogačar said. “With our sponsor, our nutritionist designed good gels and drinks that are easy on the gut. Since they created these products I don’t have any stomach problems.

“Five years ago I would always go shit my pants after stage-races or long races,” he said, hopefully with some exaggeration. “Now, even eating 120 grams, no stomach problems.”

Pogačar isn’t slurping and sipping the equivalent of 3-4 energy gels per hour on his easy rides, however. He told Attia how he’d dial down the carbs to around 60g of carbohydrate per hour for easier efforts.

This concept of “fueling for the work performed” helps riders regulate bodyweight, and prevents bloat and G.I. distress.

Pogačar ran and cross-trained toward world-crushing form

There’s no doubt Pogačar is better than ever right now. His near-unprecedented success in 2024 very plainly proves that point.

Pogačar gave some intriguing hints at how he redesigned his regimen this winter as he searched for his all-time best.

“I didn’t only change the training on the bike. There’s more core training, and more outside the bike stuff,” he said. “I got more into the details of nutrition as well.”

Pogačar gambled this winter by moving away from his long-time trainer Iñigo San Millán.

He now works with UAE physiologist Javier Sola, who changed up his training intervals, put new priority on strength and conditioning, and tweaked out his bike position. Heat training and TT-specific sessions were also introduced to the mix.

Pogačar also works closely with Monaco’s practitioner to the stars, Alexandre Baccili. The Brazilian therapist and conditioning guru helps Pogačar iron out imbalances, strengthen stabilizers, and bullet-proof his physique.

“I do a bit of weights,” Pogačar said. “I still do strength training through the season but with less weights. Legs, core, glutes, hips … for me, personally, it’s important.”

The biggest change that Tadej Pogačar made for 2024 is that he changed his trainer. From 2019 to 2023 he was trained by Dr. iñigo San Millán, but he decided to go for a change and he is now trained by Javier Sola. pic.twitter.com/0xuEmUtKSf

— Lukáš Ronald Lukács (@lucasaganronald) July 16, 2024

All-round durability for season-long dominance

The modern WorldTour is more laser-focused and dialed down than ever.

On-bike training has become more intense and prescriptive. Recovery is tracked, optimized, and scrutinized.

Yet riders are also encouraged to be well-rounded athletes. Teams encourage their athletes to run, swim, ski, and row in the bid to round out their their musculature and enhance their endurance.

Pogačar is no exception.

He’s part of a pro peloton run club that includes Remco Evenepoel, Mathieu van der Poel, Tom Pidcock, and dozens more.

“Running on the flat not so much, but in the last two years I try to put running into the off-season,” Pogačar said. “I try to start in off-season and try to keep it as long as possible in the season.”

Eddy Merckx about Tadej Pogacar

️ “He is the strongest of his generation, no doubt. It takes a lot to impress me, but he did. I thought he could become world champion, but I never imagined it would happen like this. He is truly the greatest.”

(Le Parisien)#Zurich2024 pic.twitter.com/eInt5AnjV2

— Domestique (@Domestique___) September 30, 2024

Pogačar commands a five-hour power that’s likely a half-zone higher than his closest rivals.

A commitment to cross-training makes him robust and resilient and keeps him unstoppable from February through to the fall.

Pogačar’s physical freak-ery means he can race easier and recover faster than the rest of the peloton.

His relaxed attitude to food and avoidance of riding indoors saves him from burnout and keeps him characteristically chill.

Put it all together and Pogačar can scoop sensational solo wins from Strade Bianche in March all the way through to road worlds in September.

Pogačar and Attia cover a whole lot more ground than the topics we unpacked above.

If you want to hear Pogačar’s caution at comparisons to Eddy Merckx, his thoughts on HRV, and even his favorite Tour de France mountains, go tune your earbuds to Attia’s Drive podcast.