What sensor was Pogacar wearing under his armpit in the Strade Bianche?

The victory of Tadej Pogacar in the Strade Bianche once again left memorable images in the Piazza del Campo of Siena, but beyond the sporting result, there was a detail that caught the attention of fans. In several images of the Slovenian celebrating his triumph, a small black bulge was noticeable under the right armpit of his rainbow jersey, which sparked all kinds of speculation about what type of sensor he was using during the race.

The Mysterious Sensor That Poga?ar Wore Under His Armpit in Strade Bianche

Hypotheses began to emerge on social media. Some pointed to an optical heart rate sensor similar to those that have become popular in running, others spoke of possible continuous lactate or body temperature monitors, and there were even those who suggested it could be a glucose sensor, something explicitly prohibited by the UCI.

But the official response did not take long, and the UAE Emirates-XRG team itself confirmed that the device the Slovenian champion was actually wearing was simply a Whoop bracelet. A device widely used among professional cyclists to monitor recovery parameters.

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These types of devices record metrics such as heart rate variability (HRV), sleep quality, or accumulated physiological load. And it is not uncommon to see Van der Poel and other cyclists training and competing with it.

Although it is usual to wear this device on the wrist, the brand developed an alternative band for the bicep some time ago, designed for those seeking greater comfort or more stable readings during certain activities or sports with a lot of wrist movement.

One possible explanation is that Poga?ar opted for this position due to the use of gloves. The Slovenian decided to compete in this edition with gloves after the fall he suffered last year in this same race, when he was riding without them and ended up with very bruised hands. It is possible that the glove or the fit on the wrist made it less practical to wear the bracelet there.

Another hypothesis could be that placing the sensor on the arm avoided visual interference with the Richard Mille watch, valued at over 300,000 euros, that the Slovenian usually wears in races. In any case, the small “technological mystery” that was seen in Siena ended up having a quite simple explanation.