Tadej Pogacar officially cemented his place among cycling’s all-time greats on Sunday evening, claiming his fifth Tour de France victory on the Champs Élysées. At just 27 years old, the Slovene sensation becomes the youngest and fastest rider to achieve this monumental feat, matching the legendary tallies of Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Induráin.
Pogacar’s dominance throughout his five triumphs has been unprecedented. He has spent nearly 9,500km in the iconic yellow jersey across the 16,911km he has raced in the Tour. His first victory in 2020 saw him seize the lead on the penultimate day, a sign of the relentless ambition that would define his career. His five successes have been achieved in just under 404 hours of racing, a stark contrast to Jacques Anquetil’s 613 hours for the same number of wins. Furthermore, Pogacar’s average speed of 41.99kmh surpasses that of any other five-time winner, and he has also claimed more mountain stages than his illustrious predecessors.
While his achievements are widely lauded, the intense scrutiny that often accompanies serial winners in cycling has not bypassed Pogacar. Both he and Jonas Vingegaard, who crashed out of the Tour, were subjected to nocturnal doping controls by the International Testing Agency. Vingegaard, for instance, was visited at 2am on the day of his crash. These unannounced tests have fueled speculation, with Le Figaro acknowledging Pogacar’s achievement but stating that “credibility for the Tour and for Pogacar is a ‘challenge greater than any record’.” No results from these controls have been made public.
Despite the external pressures, Pogacar’s mother, Marjeta, offered insight into her son’s enduring motivation. “When it’s not fun any more, that’s when he will stop,” she said, adding that he might continue at his current level for “Maybe 10 years – I don’t know, we’ll see.” With only Paris-Roubaix and the Vuelta a España missing from his palmarès, Pogacar is expected to confirm his participation in the Vuelta, which commences in Monaco on August 22. His team, UAE Emirates XRG, celebrated their leader’s success with a prize money haul of €832,750.
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The final stage of this historic Tour was won by Mathieu van der Poel. For French cycling, it was only the third time in history that no home rider secured a stage win. However, there were promising signs for the future, with three French riders finishing in the top 10 of the general classification: 19-year-old Paul Seixas in fourth, Lenny Martinez, and Jordan Jegat. Seixas, while acknowledging the gap to the champion, expressed his resolve. “I’d hoped to make the podium in Paris as there wasn’t much between me and Del Toro. But between myself and Pogacar, it’s a world apart,” Seixas stated. “But it’s motivating and inspiring. It will make me work harder. I’ve a concrete vision of what I need to do, to get closer to my dream of winning the Tour.” Isaac del Toro joined his team leader, Pogacar, on the Paris podium by finishing third overall.
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