Tadej Pogacar: Cycling superstar makes more history with century of victories
When he edged out Mathieu van der Poel and great rival Jonas Vingegaard in a thrilling sprint finish on Tuesday to claim stage four of this year's race, it was the UAE team Emirates-XRG rider's 100th victory in an already remarkable career.
In less than a decade, Pogacar has become a new sporting superstar. From a young boy in Komenda with dreams of greatness, to one of the most decorated riders of all time – and showing no signs of slowing down.
It was victory at the Tour de l'Avenir in 2018 that brought him to the attention of the cycling worked and UAE Team Emirates moved quickly to sign up the young Slovenian. With that, a dream partnership was forged.
On his La Vuelta a Espana debut in 2019, Pogacar delivered a breakout performance that saw him claim three stage wins and a place on podium with third place overall.
But it was a solo victory on Stage 20 that made him a true Grand Tour contender – a thrilling performance of fearlessness and aggression that would become a trademark. 'Pogi' style had arrived.
A year later, and on cycling's biggest stage for the first time, a new marker was to be laid down. Considered too soon to be a real challenger at the 2020 Tour de France by many, Pogacar set out to prove doubters wrong
Having stayed in touch with race favourite Primoz Roglic and helped by two stage wins in the mountains, the fight for the yellow jersey came down to the wire.
In the Stage 20 time trial, Pogacar produced one of the Tour's great performances as he overturned a 57-second deficit on Roglic to snatch the overall lead in dramatic fashion.
At 21 years of age, he had become Slovenia's first Tour de France winner and the youngest champion in more than a century.
In 2021, he returned not as an underdog, but as the man to beat. Pogacar dominated the race from start to finish. He claimed another three stage wins and a second Tour de France title, this time with the authority of a now double champion.
He followed it up with a monument win at Il Lombardia - the first rider since French great Bernard Hinault in 1979 to win that race along with the Tour in the same year.
By 2022, the battles with Jonas Vingegaard had become cycling's main storyline. Pogacar would finish second behind the Dane in two successive Tour de France races as a new great sporting rivalry emerged.
2023 marked a new evolution: Pogacar the one-day specialist. No longer just a Grand Tour operator, he turned his attention to the Spring Classics – and took them by storm.
At Ronde van Vlaanderen, he dropped the best cobble riders in the world on their own terrain, becoming only the third man in history to win both the Tour of Flanders and the Tour de France.
He followed it up with a masterclass at Amstel Gold and a searing uphill sprint to win La Fleche Wallonne. Each win came with control, each attack with intent. He blurred the lines between stage racer and classics specialist, which was was once thought impossible. For Pogacar, it was just another challenge accepted.
It was 2024 that elevated him from generational talent to all-time great. Pogacar had his sights set on cycling's rarest feat - the triple crown. He began by conquering the Giro d'Italia on debut, winning six stages and finishing nine minutes clear of his nearest rival in a show of absolute dominance.
Then came the Tour, where UAE Team Emirates once again took command of the race, and Pogacar delivered.
Another six stage wins, another yellow jersey. His third in five years. But the true masterpiece came in Zurich. At the World Championships, he launched a blistering solo attack with over 100km to go. No one could follow and the triple crown was his.
He rode alone into the history books, claiming the rainbow bands and becoming only the third rider ever to win the Giro, Tour and World Championship in the same season. A once in a generation dream, completed.
And the wins just keep coming in 2025. The 26-year-old has already won six races this year, including the UAE Tour and Liege-Bastogne-Liege – both for a third time – while also lifting his first Criterium du Dauphine crown in June.
All eyes are now on the Tour de France and whether the Slovenian superstar can make it title number four with the record five wins of Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain in his sights.
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