“If I work well, the riders come to me” – Interview with Alex Carera, Tadej Pogačar’s agent

Alex Carera about his work as agent, the future of cycling, and the great cyclists that he manages.

Alex Carera comes from Italy and is one of the world’s leading cycling agents. At just 22 years old, together with his brother Johnny, he founded A&J All Sports to help cyclists, with seriousness and honesty, in an increasingly professional environment. As cyclists go, Carera finds and signs the best: Chris Froome, Vincenzo Nibali and the current campionissimo Tadej Pogačar make up his portfolio, among dozens of others. He also has been leading the efforts to form an association of cycling agents.

Throughout this interview, which he promptly agreed to give to Portuguese Cycling Magazine, the “I” quickly gives way to the “we” of his brother and all the collaborators of A&J All Sports, with the awareness that no one works alone, especially in a team sport like cycling, which he considers to be “the best sport in the world”.

Cover Photo: Luca Bettini & Instagram Alex Carera

A&J. Alex and Johnny, the Carera Brothers managing athletes of All Sports. Who came up with the idea?

We started as agents in cycling from March 1997; my brother and I have had the A&J All Sports for 27 years. We understood that the riders needed professional guys close to them, to help them manage their careers. Our philosophy is pretty clear: we are every problem that they have.

A&J All Sports started with two riders: Damiano Cunego and Romans Vainsteins. What were the biggest challenges in the beginning?

In the beginning, my challenge was to find a place in cycling, and then help the riders. When I started, my goal wasn’t to be one of the best agents in the world, it was helping the riders. If I worked well, the riders would come to me, and that’s what happened year by year.

From all the cycling greats that you managed, Vincenzo Nibali stands out, because he is also Italian. How did you support ‘The Shark’ during his career?

It is not easy to manage ‘The Shark’ (laugh). I signed him when we were at the World Championships in Canada [Hamilton 2003]. He was under-23 and he stayed his entire career with us. Sometimes we fight because we don’t have the same opinions, but we work together in a transparent way. Now, we stay in contact every week, and we stayed closer to him when he lost more than when he won. When he won, he didn’t need too much help, but when he lost races or crashed out, it was most important that we stayed.

Can you recall the times when you stayed close to Nibali?

I remember two times in particular. [The first time] when he crashed in the Olympic Games [Rio 2016], and he came to Italy, but his wife was not in Italy. Then we stayed one night together with him, because he was alone in the hospital. And the second time was when I picked him up after his crash in Alpe d’Huez, and I brought him to his home in Switzerland. He was a little bit disappointed, because he had the opportunity to win the second Tour de France, but he crashed because one fan touched him. These are the times when we need to stay close to others.

Nowadays, you are known for managing Tadej Pogačar. How did you find about him and his talent?

When he was junior, he won the Giro della Lunigiana, the most important race for the junior category [in Italy]. I spotted him easily: he was alone, because no teammates could help him. After five minutes talking with Andrej Hauptman [Pogačar’s coach] and him, I understood that he had big talent. [Two years later], I asked Andrej to talk with him [Pogačar], as I wanted to invite him. I showed him the agency, because Nibali and other riders were with us in 2018. I told Andrej that we are serious guys and we decided to start working together. Year by year, he arrived at the top of the world.

When you met that promising young Slovenian, would you have believed if someone told you that he would win 1 Giros, 2 Tours and 3 of the 5 monuments by the age of 26?

Impossible! It was impossible to think, in 2018, that he would win 6 monuments, 3 GCs and another 3 GC podiums in short time… and a bronze medal in the Olympic Games and another bronze medal in the World Championships. Impossible! I wished that he could become one of the best riders in the world, but year by year, I understood that he’s not only the best rider in the world; he’s a legend in the whole history of cycling.

At the Giro d’Italia, we saw possibly the strongest Pogačar ever. With the possibility of completing an historic double at the Tour, what is your advice to him?

My first job is to help him stay focused on the win, without many obligations to sponsors and the media. It’s my role, and I need to work it. Nowadays, every time that he starts a race he wants to win it, so he will try to win the Tour also. It’s a great challenge, not easy for sure, but I’m also sure that he will fight for the yellow jersey. Last year, he had a big injury in Liège, but he worked hard, and in the end, he won 3 stages and got on the podium. For sure, the upcoming Tour de France will be a great event for all fans, and I want to invite everyone to follow the Tour de France!

Do you believe that Pogačar can be an ambassador of cycling and all sports, like Rafael Nadal in tennis or Lewis Hamilton in Formula 1?

Nowadays, he is no different than Nadal in tennis, Michael Jordan in basketball, or Tiger Woods in golf. He has the same impact in cycling, because he’s not only the best, he’s also close to the fans and the kids. What we saw during the last Giro, giving his jersey to Pellizzari or giving his bottle to the kids in the Astana jersey, shows his great impact in our sport, because many fans love him, and many riders also love him. I think that he is very popular also because he has a big smile all the time; he is happy on the bike and he loves this sport.

Rumour has it that Pogačar is going to sign a new contract with UAE Team Emirates…

We have been in discussions for many months regarding why he wants to sign the contract. Maybe we can find a solution before the Tour, or after the Tour, but it’s not our priority. Our priority is that all parties, all staff and riders around, are happy [with him] in the team, and that the team is happy with him.

Interviewed by Portuguese Cycling Magazine, agent João Correia rejected salary caps as “cyclists are still underpaid”. Do you agree with him?

I think that a salary cap is a stupid idea, because the system used in the NBA is totally different business; every cycling team has different rules in the country where they are registered. I think that the best team and the best manager are the best because they can find more money to have the best riders. Therefore, a salary cap is not a solution to create more competition between different teams. No, the solution is to work better in nutrition, equipment, and so on. The best manager also finds the best talent. Sometimes it’s not because you have more money that you can be sure to get more results; otherwise, there would be no competition.

The commercialization of cycling is accelerating, with big international brands (Red Bull, Decathlon…) entering the sport. What exactly is their impact?

The impact is very big. To Red Bull or Decathlon, I add Jayco or Tudor. It’s very important, because these are examples that, if people love cycling, the big brands love cycling. It not only benefits the teams and the riders, but all parties, even the press. If there is more money in our sport, the cake is bigger, and all parties can have a bigger slice.

Cycling tends to produce low revenues, with the Tour de France’s broadcasting rights being comparatively low prized in sports. Could brands change this situation?

Cycling is the best sport in the world to promote a brand, because the name of the brand is the name of the team. When Real Madrid wins the Champions League, it’s Real Madrid, not Emirates, also with the jersey. Cycling gives the best return of investment for each sponsor. Now there are some good brands, but in the future, I hope that different companies open their eyes and invest more money in our sport. Because it’s the best sport in the world!

Página 2 (Inglês)