According to reports in Spanish and Dutch media, Joseba Elguezabal, the long‑time personal soigneur of Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), is set to leave cycling after UAE’s December training camp to join Athletic Club Bilbao as a physiotherapist at Lezama.
The 44‑year‑old Basque from Gatika has been at Pogačar’s side since 2019, brought into UAE via Sergio Henao and then‑performance director Íñigo San Millán. In that period the Slovenian has collected four Tour de France titles, a Giro d’Italia and a stack of Monuments, with Elguezabal a near‑constant presence in hotel corridors and finish‑zone mixed areas.
Infobae and Estadio Deportivo report that the move has been facilitated by San Millán, now performance director at Athletic, who has been importing cycling’s periodisation and recovery methods into the Liga club since late 2023. Though neither club has issued a formal press release, the move was widely confirmed in the Spanish media on Wednesday.
Elguezabal’s importance went far beyond massage oil and recovery shakes. He was usually the first face Pogačar saw after a stage, providing immediate physical care. Recreating that level of day‑to‑day intimacy will be a delicate task for UAE on the eve of Pogačar’s 2026 targets.
For Athletic, it is another step in football’s quiet poaching of cycling experts – though Dave Brailsford's infamous migration to football and back again shows that perhaps the poaching isn't always a perfect fit for major football clubs. Compared with a WorldTour season that can mean 200 travel days, a single‑club role with a stable base and La Liga pay scales is an attractive trade for high‑end recovery staff.
