Tadej Pogačar
Who was Tadej Pogačar?
Slovenian professional cyclist who won the Tour de France in 2020 and 2021, becoming the second-youngest winner in the race's modern era. He rides for UAE Team Emirates and is known for his climbing ability and aggressive racing style.
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Tadej Pogačar (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Tadej Pogačar was born on 21 September 1998 in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and grew up in the nearby village of Klanec. Known as 'Pogi' to fans and teammates, he quickly progressed through the junior ranks of cycling, showing climbing skill and tactical aggression that defined his professional career. He rides for UAE Team Emirates XRG, the UCI WorldTeam with which he has achieved most of his professional wins.
Pogačar made his mark internationally in 2019, at 20 years old, becoming the youngest cyclist to win a UCI World Tour race at the Tour of California. That year he also finished third overall at the Vuelta a España, winning three stages and the young rider category. His debut at the Tour de France in 2020 was memorable when he overturned a major deficit to race leader Primož Roglič in the penultimate stage time trial at La Planche des Belles Filles, taking the overall win. He defended that title in 2021, winning three stages and claiming the mountains and young rider titles along with the overall victory, making him the only rider to win all three simultaneously in a single Tour.
In the following seasons, he added more victories outside of grand tours. In 2021, he won his first Monument races at Liège–Bastogne–Liège and the Giro di Lombardia, returning as champion multiple times. He also won the Tour of Flanders several times and Milan–San Remo, solidifying his reputation as the most complete rider of his generation. In 2024, Pogačar achieved the Triple Crown of Cycling, winning the Giro d'Italia, the Tour de France, and the UCI Road World Championship in the same year. Only Eddy Merckx in 1974 and Stephen Roche in 1987 had done this before among male cyclists. He also became the only rider to add two Monument wins to the Triple Crown in the same year.
In 2025, Pogačar won his fourth Tour de France and retained the UCI Road World Championship, becoming the first male cyclist to win both titles two years in a row. His career includes thirteen Monument wins across Milan–San Remo, the Tour of Flanders, Liège–Bastogne–Liège, and the Giro di Lombardia. He is compared to legends of the sport like Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault and is widely viewed as one of the greatest cyclists ever. Among his honors, he received the Vélo d'Or and Slovenia's Golden Order of Merit in 2021.
Before Fame
Pogačar grew up in Klanec, a small town near the Slovenian coast. He started cycling as a child and advanced through local and national youth programs. His talent showed early, and in 2018, he won the Tour de l'Avenir, a well-known under-23 stage race seen as a predictor of future grand tour success. This victory gained him significant international attention and led to his signing with UAE Team Emirates before the 2019 season.
He quickly moved into the professional peloton. In his first full season, he was already competing at the top level, winning a World Tour race and finishing on the podium at a Grand Tour. His journey mirrored a larger trend of rising Slovenian cycling talent in the late 2010s, shaped by a strong domestic racing culture and the impact of earlier Slovenian professionals who competed in top European cycling events.
Key Achievements
- Four Tour de France victories (2020, 2021, 2024, 2025)
- 2024 Giro d'Italia overall winner
- UCI Road World Championship winner twice (2024, 2025)
- Thirteen Monument one-day race victories including five Giro di Lombardia titles
- 2024 Triple Crown of Cycling, only the third male rider in history to achieve it
Did You Know?
- 01.At the 2020 Tour de France, Pogačar overturned a 57-second deficit to race leader Primož Roglič on the penultimate day's individual time trial, winning the race by 59 seconds after nearly three weeks of racing.
- 02.He won the Giro di Lombardia five times, making him one of the most dominant riders in the history of that single race.
- 03.In 2024, he became only the third male cyclist ever to complete the Triple Crown of Cycling, joining Eddy Merckx (1974) and Stephen Roche (1987).
- 04.He won his first UCI World Tour race at the age of 20 at the 2019 Tour of California, setting a record as the youngest winner of such an event at that time.
- 05.Pogačar received Slovenia's Golden Order of Merit in 2021, one of the country's highest state honors, reflecting his national significance beyond the sport.
Awards & Honors
| Award | Year | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Vélo d'Or | 2021 | — |
| Golden Order of Merit | 2021 | — |