Tadej Pogačar is used to standing out in the peloton. This time, he’s doing it with his hair.
The Slovenian superstar and reigning world champion has unveiled a bleached blond haircut, quickly setting social media buzzing. Pogačar shared a series of photos on Instagram showing off the new look — a clear nod to rapper Eminem, one of his favorite artists growing up.
He rarely loses (himself)
“Slim Shady introduced me to hip hop,” Pogačar wrote alongside the post. He recalled discovering Eminem’s music at a young age, downloading hundreds of tracks onto his music player by the time he was twelve. “From that moment on, I started to love hip hop.”
While his playlists have since evolved — now featuring mostly Slovenian rap — the haircut is a playful throwback rather than a serious reinvention. Pogačar was quick to downplay the change, calling it “just a fun fact” and encouraging fans to enjoy the slideshow.
Not afraid of 2026 season
To be honest, Pogi pulls off the look pretty damn well. Hopefully he will keep his Marshall Mathers for his first race of the year, which is slated to be Strade Bianche.
Then, he will follow up with Milan–San Remo and Ronde van Vlaanderen.
Next comes the big target that still eludes him: Paris–Roubaix. The Slovenian has already been spotted testing himself on the French cobbles in early-season training in miserable weather. Clearly, Roubaix is a big goal.
Pogačar then heads to Liège–Bastogne–Liège for one final one-day race before turning his focus to the Tour de France.
Cleaning out his closet (of leader’s jerseys)
Two races missing from his palmarès stand out on his early 2026 calendar. Both the Tour of Romandie and Tour de Suisse will offer new terrain, as Pogačar has yet to start either stage race. With those his only scheduled events between the Classics and July, it marks a clear shift in how the UAE rider is preparing for the Tour de France.
His post-Tour plans remain unclear. With neither the Giro nor the Vuelta appearing to fit his schedule, a return to Spain in August seems unlikely. However, the world championships in Montreal are firmly on his radar, even if not yet officially confirmed. It’s a great course for Pogi–it’s definitely possible he can pull off a threepeat.
Anyway, back to the photo, Mathieu van der Poel, who is presumably chilling in the hotel resting before the ‘cross worlds on Sunday, of course commented. “Can the real one stand up please?”
Btw be sure to come back on Canadian Cycling Magazine for our continued ‘cross race coverage.