The talent that seeks perfection: what is Pogacar's limit?

If the history of the Grand Tours tells us that we are in the presence of one of the giants of the present and future, the Monuments are no slouch. Since his first appearance in the 2019 Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Tadej Pogacar has won nine Monuments: two Flanders, three Lièges, and four Lombardy. So far, the Slovenian occupies third place in the gold medal table, tied with Costante Girardengo, Fausto Coppi, and Sean Kelly. Ahead of him are Roger de Vlaeminck (11) and Eddy Merckx (19), the only two to have won all five Monuments. In this regard, Pogacar still has to triumph in Milan-Sanremo and Paris-Roubaix, and if he wins Lombardy again at the end of the year, he will secure third place on that list.

To talk about Tadej Pogacar in 2025 is to compare him to the cannibal Eddy Merckx, who is considered by many, almost unanimously, the best cyclist of all time. The data is clear and shows that, at 26, the Slovenian is not far from the Belgian's level, as well as Bernard Hinault's. Looking at Grand Tour victories, Pogacar has the same five as Merckx, which were split between three Tours and two Giros. However, Tamau has the edge in stage wins, with 30, compared to the cannibal's 28. Even so, the trend falls in Merckx's favor in Monuments, as the Belgian had ten victories (compared to nine), with the distinction of having won four different races at 26 and, that same year, already at 27, having achieved all five triumphs. At 26, Hinault was the only one to have won all three Grand Tours, albeit with one fewer victory overall (four). The Frenchman had 19 stage victories and "only" three Monuments. Interestingly, all three had already been crowned world champions in long distance racing.

After Pogacar had a dream season in 2024, with 25 victories, a Giro, a Tour, and the world championship title, replicating a near-perfect year was a daunting task in itself. Faced with this, the Slovenian, along with his coach, Spaniard Javier Sola, and performance coordinator Jeroen Swart, implemented some small changes in his preparation, aiming to improve his progress and maintain the winning streak. For now, it's safe to say that the changes continue to yield results. "I can still improve. My experience continues to grow," Pogacar predicted back in December, during a high-altitude training camp in Spain. The statement hinted that, despite the pursuit of new goals, his ambition remained high.

In fact, the Slovenian's improvement began almost two years ago, when Iñigo San Millán left Emirates, leaving Tadej without a coach. That's when Javier Sola, responsible for Pogacar's—and João Almeida's—training team, stepped in. He abandoned zone 2 volume training—where he can utilize a stratospheric 320 to 340 watts per kilogram—and opted to increase the intensity of the athlete's workouts, particularly in the first phase of the season, given the focus on the classics. Based on this goal and his "obsession" with winning Milan-Sanremo and Paris-Roubaix, Sola increased the Slovenian's strength training in the gym, aiming to further refine his body composition, gaining muscle and adjusting his naturally low fat levels. Those who work with Pogacar at Emirates say his workload is only possible because he's an athlete with a great capacity for recovery and talent retention, as well as a high level of professionalism, which needs to be carefully measured to avoid excess. It's these abilities that make Pogacar competitive from start to finish, for several seasons.

In addition to all this, another change in Sola's preparation was adapting to the heat, aiming to improve the Slovenian's performance on hot days, as is the case in most stages of the Tour de France, and to take advantage of the increased endurance and hemoglobin levels that occur with heat exposure. To this end, Tadej Pogacar, who says he prefers hot days to rainy ones, began wearing a body temperature sensor to monitor his values. The Slovenian also debuted in 2025 with a new bike, the Colnago Y1rs, which he developed in conjunction with the brand that sponsors his team. Pissei's equipment is also actively developed by Pogacar, ensuring that no detail can affect his pursuit of perfection.

"We didn't make any significant changes. Obviously, he has a good track record. Basically, we introduced some strength training in the gym. He also improved his body composition compared to previous years. I think he can still improve a bit, but I can't predict how much. I don't have a crystal ball. It's nothing crazy. We probably did a bit more high-intensity training at certain times. I also think strength training—on and off the bike—was crucial for him. We tried to introduce a bit more intensity for the classics. We'll see if he can manage the load and continue to progress. It's a process. We improve something every year," Sola explained in an interview .

“Tadej is incredibly professional. He follows the plan and does the work expected. Sometimes he's enthusiastic and we have to hold him back a bit, but the reality is that he often does everything right. He has an incredible ability to train, recover, and adapt. Compared to other cyclists, he's able to assimilate so much more load at such a rapid rate that he's able to reach peak fitness very quickly, but also achieve these phenomenal performances. This is a once-in-a-generation thing. Heat training is an area that has evolved significantly in terms of research in the last year, with dozens of studies focusing exclusively on this topic. We've implemented this practice with great success,” said Swart.

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— Domestique (@Domestique___) December 4, 2024

Tadej Pogacar is the leading cyclist of our time, both for all he's achieved and for what he delivers every time he gets on his bike. The Slovenian has changed the way racing works and represents a generation unafraid to attack under any circumstances, whether it's 70, 80, or even 100 kilometers to go. That's probably the highest praise we can give him, especially considering that, over the last decade, Chris Froome and Nairo Quintana have been involved in the Tour de France's greatest duels, with highly rational, numbers-driven cycling with few attacks. The world champion's future promises to be bright , with the potential to achieve great things in the sport.

When it comes to Monuments, Milan-Sanremo and Paris-Roubaix are undoubtedly Pogacar's Achilles' heel. Admittedly, we're talking about two races that don't quite suit his characteristics... but, after all, what are those characteristics? Tadej started cycling as a frail rider, incapable of competing in stage races. He grew and reached World Tour level as a Grand Tour rider. From there, he adapted, began competing in one-day races—which he says are his preference—and currently stands shoulder to shoulder with the best in the world on any terrain, managing to win sprints against the fastest men at Milan-Sanremo and challenge Mathieu van der Poel on his favorite terrain. The near future will certainly involve winning these two races and completing the Monuments series, where he will also undoubtedly aim to surpass Eddy Merkcx's 19 victories. For now, he is two Tours of Flanders, three Liège-Bastogne-Liège and two Lombardies away from leading the top of the lists alone.