Carlos Sainz on his ride with Pogacar: "An active recovery for him. For me, the toughest stage of my life"

Formula 1 driver Carlos Sainz was out for a bike ride with Tadej Pogacar just after the Slovenian won the World Championship. In the video, everything was laughter and good spirits, but now Sainz has confessed that it was his toughest bike ride to date.

Carlos Sainz talks about his ride with Pogacar: "His recovery training is my zone 5"

Formula 1 driver Carlos Sainz resides in Monaco, just like Tadej Pogacar, and both athletes share a friendship that sometimes leads them to ride together along the French Mediterranean coast.

As Sainz explains in an interview, they only share the easy workouts that Pogacar calls "going out for a bike ride to have coffee." But this story once again makes it clear that elite cyclists have a completely different perception of effort than the rest of us mortals. And that's not forgetting that Formula 1 drivers are considered the most complete and versatile athletes due to their strength, endurance, and mental speed.

About Tadej Poga?ar

"I've been suffering next to the world number 1 that, by the way, is in an incredible form and I had the brilliant idea to go on a recovery ride for him. For me, it was the toughest ride of my life."#CarlosSainz | #USGPpic.twitter.com/fiC7Rr5T71

— Carlos Sainz News (@CSainzNews_) October 17, 2024

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"I had the brilliant idea of accompanying him on his recovery training just after he won the World Championship and was in top form. It seemed simple: we would do a 30 or 40-kilometer route, stop for coffee, and return to Monaco. For Tadej, these are recovery rides, just for fun, where he doesn't push himself. So that cyclists like me realize that they can ride at the same speed as him. Of course, the reality is that even during those coffee rides, we are completely dead trying to keep up with him. However, he does us the favor of not dropping us, otherwise he won't have anyone to talk to. Of course, that conversation is relative. Because while I'm at 170, 180 heartbeats, he's barely at 110. I can say that they are not really interesting conversations. It was literally the toughest ride of my life. Anyone who has never ridden a bike cannot imagine how fast that guy can ride."