Pogacar’s Shocking Gamble Stuns the Cycling World – INEOS in Chaos as Geraint Thomas Bids Farewell

In a move that has left fans, pundits, and even his own rivals speechless, Tadej Pogacar has made what many are calling the most audacious gamble of his career – and perhaps of this generation. Just as the 2025 racing season reaches its boiling point, Pogacar has thrown conventional strategy to the wind, launching a bold, unpredictable campaign that insiders are already labeling as a “crazy bet.” And as all eyes shift to the Slovenian superstar, the headlines have suddenly turned in another direction: the silent, emotional farewell of British cycling legend Geraint Thomas. The timing? Impeccable. The consequences? Potentially seismic – especially for Team INEOS.

Sources close to Pogacar have hinted at internal tension between the UAE Team Emirates camp and their star rider. The 2023 and 2024 Grand Tour schedules had already tested Pogacar’s stamina and patience. But this time, he’s chosen to bypass traditional expectations entirely. Instead of focusing on a single Grand Tour or peaking strategically, Pogacar is reportedly planning a double-header assault on both the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France – with barely any time to recover in between. It’s not just risky. It’s madness to some. Genius to others.

But as the cameras swarmed Pogacar during training, something else – or someone else – was quietly slipping into the shadows. Geraint Thomas, 39, whose final professional season has been a masterclass in consistency and heart, has announced his retirement in the most understated way possible. No dramatic farewell tour. No press conference fanfare. Just a quiet departure that has rocked INEOS Grenadiers to its core.

Thomas’s departure marks the end of an era for British cycling. A Tour de France champion, Olympic gold medalist, and one of the sport’s most respected figures, he stood as a pillar during INEOS’s most dominant years. His exit, however, has raised more questions than answers. With leadership in flux, and without a clear heir to his leadership mantle, INEOS now faces a critical identity crisis. The timing couldn’t be worse. While Pogacar is doubling down, INEOS seems caught flat-footed, struggling to regain the dominance it once enjoyed under Thomas, Froome, and Wiggins.

Insiders say the mood within INEOS is tense. Pogacar’s move only deepens the pressure. Not only is the Slovenian stepping into the kind of aggressive territory once ruled by INEOS, but he’s doing so with a freedom and flair that the British team, increasingly bogged down by internal rigidity, seems to have lost. For some, Pogacar’s “crazy bet” isn’t just about glory – it’s a subtle statement: the sport’s new king isn’t afraid to break the rules the old guard once wrote.

Meanwhile, tributes have poured in for Geraint Thomas. Teammates, rivals, and fans alike have expressed admiration and sadness at his quiet departure. Chris Froome called him “the heartbeat of a generation.” Even Pogacar, despite being in the eye of his own storm, paused to post a heartfelt message: “Respect to a legend. Cycling won’t be the same.”

And he’s right. It won’t. The sport is shifting. Pogacar is reinventing what dominance looks like. INEOS is on the back foot. Geraint Thomas has left the stage. And the 2025 season, still in its early chapters, already feels like a turning point in cycling history.

As the world watches Pogacar’s high-wire act and wonders whether brilliance will meet burnout, one thing is certain: nothing in cycling will ever be the same again.