🔥 CYCLING BLOCKBUSTER: Miguel Indurain’s Chilling Warning to Tadej Pogačar – “When the fire goes out, things get harder” – Inside the Mental Toll and Untold Secrets Behind Five Historic Tour de France Victories

In a rare and unexpectedly candid moment, cycling legend Miguel Indurain has sent shockwaves through the professional peloton with a pointed warning to Tadej Pogačar, the Slovenian superstar who has been dominating the Tour de France. Speaking to Spanish media, Indurain’s words carried both admiration and caution: “When the fire goes out, things get harder.” It was not just a poetic metaphor, but a glimpse into the deep psychological strain that comes with chasing cycling’s most coveted prize year after year.

Indurain, who reigned supreme in the 1990s with five consecutive Tour de France victories from 1991 to 1995, knows better than anyone the cost of maintaining such dominance. At a time when cycling was a brutal blend of physical endurance and mental resilience, the Spanish icon endured intense scrutiny, extreme pressure, and the relentless grind of training without losing focus. But as he now reveals, behind the scenes there were moments of mental fatigue so deep they threatened to dismantle his reign.

“When you win the Tour once, it feels like a dream,” Indurain explained. “Twice, and you start thinking you can be unstoppable. But after the third, the fourth, the fifth… it is not just your legs that have to be strong, your mind has to fight against the boredom, the fear of losing, and the constant pressure from rivals and the public. That’s why I tell Pogačar: enjoy the fire while it burns, because one day you will wake up, and it will feel different.”

Pogačar, at just 25, has already built a glittering career with multiple Tour victories and a charisma that has made him one of cycling’s most marketable stars. Yet Indurain’s words cut through the glamour, hinting at a hidden battle that no amount of physical preparation can fully address. The Spaniard recalls that the hardest part of his historic streak was not climbing the mountains of the Alps or the Pyrenees, but waking up each morning with the same hunger, knowing that anything less than perfection would be seen as failure.

The mental shock Indurain speaks of is not unique to cycling. Many champions in sports, from tennis to Formula 1, have admitted that sustaining excellence is a heavier burden than achieving it for the first time. For Indurain, the secret to surviving it was learning to embrace monotony, block out external noise, and treat each Tour as if it were his first – a mental trick that required immense discipline.

“People think it is all about talent,” Indurain continued. “But talent without mental resistance is like a bike without wheels. You cannot move forward. I had to build a wall in my mind to block the doubts. And I had to remind myself that every race could be the last, so I had to give everything.”

His advice to Pogačar comes at a time when the Slovenian faces perhaps the strongest field of rivals in recent years, with young talents and seasoned veterans alike looking to break his dominance. The Tour de France is not just a physical war, but a mental chess game, where one moment of weakness can be the difference between glory and heartbreak.

Indurain’s unexpected revelation has sparked debate among fans and analysts about how long Pogačar can sustain his current level. While the Slovenian remains outwardly confident, there is no denying that cycling history is filled with champions whose reigns ended sooner than expected due to burnout, loss of motivation, or the crushing weight of expectation.

As the next Tour approaches, the cycling world will watch closely to see if Pogačar can keep the fire burning – or if Indurain’s warning will prove prophetic. Because in the Tour de France, as in life, it is not just about how fast you climb, but how long you can keep going when the mountains seem endless.