Tadej Pogačar packed plenty into his mid-December tune-up in Belgium. After joining UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammates on the cobbles of northern France Tuesday on a particularly foul day — checking tire pressures, rolling feel and aero tweaks alongside Florian Vermeersch, Tim Wellens and Nils Politt — the world champion shifted straight to Flanders terrain the next morning.
Checking out the climbs in Flanders
Riders and locals spotted him on the Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg, where he carried out his recon aboard his Colnago aero Y1Rs, a slightly unusual choice for the twisting, climbing-heavy Ronde van Vlaanderen parcours.
But Pogačar also made time for a different kind of maintenance. Staying at the Parkhotel in Waregem, Belgium he walked into Odin’s Barbershop after Tuesday’s ride, a visit that owner Odin Samrel is unlikely to forget.
Hair did, bike did, everything did
“He called me personally,” Samrel told Qmusic and reported on nieuwsblad.be. “He came in with two friends, I cut all three. He showed me the style he wanted — and of course I gave it to him. Tadej was super friendly, just a great guy. I wanted to treat him, but he insisted on paying.”
Samrel usually charges 20–30 Euro for a cut; Pogačar left 45 and posed for a quick selfie before stepping back out into the December drizzle, his offseason trim as neatly dialled as his early-season prep.
Earlier this week, there was another nice little story about Pogi’s generosity. On Danish former pro Jakob Fuglsang’s new podcast Fuglsang i Feltet, the world champ said how his teammates loved to talk about coffee before races. After Jonas Vingegaard took back the yellow jersey back in 2023, Pogi decided to do something nice for his mates. He ended up buying every rider on the team a La Marzocco machine. (Which are not cheap.)
But back to his coif. This hairdo is pretty solid after some … let’s say, questionable cuts.
New season, new hair: Pogacar swaps trademark tufts for a sharp cut in Belgium: For Tadej Pogacar, preparations for the new season can now truly begin. The Slovenian superstar enjoyed a short break… #NewSeason #Pogacar #Cycling #Haircut #UAEteamEmirates pic.twitter.com/Ck0dxNxV5j
— Tadej Pogacar and UAE Team Emirates (@TadejAnd2558) December 10, 2025