Even great champions sometimes need to stop. To disconnect, change pace, recharge before returning to chase new goals.

Tadej Pogačar knows this well. The four-time Tour de France winner, World and European Champion, chose snow and mountain silence to grant himself a break from competitive commitments.

Together with his girlfriend Urška, Pogačar retreated to Isola 2000, a ski resort in the southern French Alps that has often been the scene of his preparation retreats ahead of the Grande Boucle. Between ski descents and moments of relaxation, the Slovenian champion showed his fans some glimpses of this winter break through social media, far from bikes and the hectic rhythms of professionalism, but always with the smile of someone who knows how to balance work and recovery.

After the break, the return to daily routine was not long in coming. Monte Carlo once again became the operational center, along with training, resumed side by side with his friend and former professional Nicolò Bonifazio. The season is now just around the corner, and the first major appointment will be Strade Bianche, a race that the UAE Team Emirates XRG rider - who also displays the European champion jersey during training - has already won three times.