Tadej Pogačar facts for kids
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Pogačar at the 2022 Tour of Slovenia
(current UCI world No.1 – record 210 weeks in total) |
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | Pogi | ||
| Born | 21 September 1998 Ljubljana, Slovenia |
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| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in) | ||
| Weight | 66 kg (146 lb; 10 st 6 lb) | ||
| Team information | |||
| Current team | UAE Team Emirates | ||
| Discipline | Road | ||
| Role | Rider | ||
| Rider type | All-rounder | ||
| Major wins | |||
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Tadej Pogačar (born September 21, 1998) is a professional cyclist from Slovenia. He rides for the UAE Team Emirates. He is known as one of the best all-around cyclists in the world.
Tadej has won many important races. These include four Tour de France titles (in 2020, 2021, 2024, and 2025). He also won the 2024 Giro d'Italia. He has won nine "Monuments," which are very famous one-day races. These include the Tour of Flanders twice, Liège–Bastogne–Liège three times, and Giro di Lombardia four times. In 2024, he also won the World Championship Road Race.
In 2024, Tadej Pogačar achieved the "Triple Crown of Cycling." This means he won the Giro d'Italia, the Tour de France, and the World Championships all in the same year. Only two other male cyclists, Eddy Merckx and Stephen Roche, have done this before him. He is the only rider to win the Triple Crown and two Monuments in the same year.
Tadej is praised for his exciting way of riding. He often attacks during races, which makes them very fun to watch. Many people compare him to legendary cyclists like Eddy Merckx. He has been ranked as the world's number one road cyclist for a record number of weeks.
Contents
Tadej Pogačar's Cycling Journey
Starting Out in Cycling
Tadej Pogačar started cycling at age nine. He joined the Rog Ljubljana club, following his older brother Tilen. In 2011, a famous coach named Andrej Hauptman noticed him. Hauptman saw Tadej chasing much older riders and thought he was struggling. But then he realized Tadej was actually about to pass them!
Hauptman became Tadej's coach. He helped Tadej as a young rider. Later, Hauptman joined UAE Team Emirates, the same team Tadej joined.
In 2018, Tadej won the Tour de l'Avenir. This is a big race for riders under 23 years old. It is often seen as a stepping stone to the Tour de France.
Joining UAE Team Emirates
2019: First Big Wins
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In 2019, Tadej joined UAE Team Emirates. He quickly showed how talented he was. He won the 2019 Volta ao Algarve and the 2019 Tour of California. Winning the Tour of California made him the youngest rider ever to win a UCI WorldTour stage race.
Later that year, Tadej raced in the 2019 Vuelta a España. This was his first "Grand Tour" race. Grand Tours are the three biggest cycling races: the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia, and Vuelta a España. He won three stages in the Vuelta. He finished third overall and won the "young rider" title. This was a great start to his Grand Tour career.
2020: Winning the Tour de France for the First Time
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In 2020, Tadej raced in the 2020 Tour de France for the first time. He was supposed to support his teammate, but he quickly became the team's strongest rider. He won two stages early in the race.
On the second-to-last day, there was a time trial. This is a race against the clock where riders race alone. Tadej was 57 seconds behind the leader, Primož Roglič. But Tadej had an amazing performance. He gained almost two minutes on Roglič and took the yellow jersey. He won the Tour de France at just 21 years old. This made him the second-youngest winner ever. He also won the "mountains" and "young rider" classifications. This was a very rare achievement.
2021: Second Tour Win and Monument Victories
Tadej had another fantastic year in 2021. He won the 2021 UAE Tour, 2021 Tirreno–Adriatico, and 2021 Tour of Slovenia. He also won his first "Monument" race, 2021 Liège–Bastogne–Liège.
He then went on to win the 2021 Tour de France again. He took the yellow jersey early in the race and kept it. He won three stages and finished more than five minutes ahead of the second-place rider. He also won the mountains and young rider jerseys again. This made him the youngest cyclist to win two Tours in a row.
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After the Tour, Tadej won a bronze medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in the road race. He finished his season by winning another Monument, the 2021 Il Lombardia. This made him one of only a few riders to win two Monuments and the Tour in the same year.
2022: Tour Runner-Up and More Wins
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In 2022, Tadej continued to win many races. He defended his title at the 2022 UAE Tour. He also won the 2022 Strade Bianche with a long solo attack. He won 2022 Tirreno–Adriatico again, beating Jonas Vingegaard.
He made his debut in the Tour of Flanders, a tough cobbled Monument. He finished fourth after a very exciting race. He then won the 2022 Tour of Slovenia before the Tour de France.
In the 2022 Tour de France, Tadej won two stages and wore the yellow jersey for several days. However, on a tough mountain stage, he lost a lot of time to Jonas Vingegaard. He tried to attack Vingegaard many times in the following stages, but Vingegaard was always able to respond. Tadej finished second overall and won the young rider classification.
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Later in the season, Tadej won the 2022 Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal. He also finished second at the 2022 Giro dell'Emilia and won the 2022 Tre Valli Varesine. He ended his season by winning 2022 Il Lombardia for the second year in a row. He had 16 wins in 2022, the most of any male cyclist.
2023: Injury and Tour Runner-Up
Tadej started 2023 very strongly. He won the Clásica Jaén Paraíso Interior, the Vuelta a Andalucía, and 2023 Paris–Nice. He beat his rival Jonas Vingegaard at Paris-Nice.
He then won the Tour of Flanders, dropping Mathieu van der Poel and riding alone to the finish. This made him one of only three male cyclists to win both the Tour de France and Tour of Flanders. He also won the 2023 Amstel Gold Race and 2023 La Flèche Wallonne.
However, in April, Tadej crashed at 2023 Liège–Bastogne–Liège and broke his wrist. This injury made it difficult for him to prepare for the 2023 Tour de France. Despite this, he still won two stages in the Tour. He finished second overall and won the white jersey for the best young rider for a record fourth time.
In August, he won a bronze medal at the 2023 UCI Road World Championships road race. He finished his season by winning 2023 Il Lombardia for the third time in a row.
2024: The Triple Crown of Cycling
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Tadej Pogačar had an incredible 2024 season. He aimed to win both the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France in the same year. This is a very difficult challenge, last achieved in 1998.
He started by winning 2024 Strade Bianche with a long solo attack. He then won 2024 Liège–Bastogne–Liège with another solo effort. This was his sixth Monument victory.
Tadej dominated the 2024 Giro d'Italia. He won six stages and took the pink jersey early on. He won the overall title by almost 10 minutes, the biggest winning margin since 1965. He also won the mountains classification.
He then went on to the 2024 Tour de France. He wore the yellow jersey for most of the race. He won six stages, including a record-breaking climb on stage 15. He became the first non-sprinter since 1938 to win three stages in a row at the Tour. He won the Tour de France for the third time, completing the Giro-Tour double.
After the Tour, Tadej won the 2024 Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal. He then won the 2024 UCI Road World Championships road race. He attacked very early and rode solo for the last 50 kilometers. This victory completed his "Triple Crown of Cycling."
He finished his season by winning 2024 Giro dell'Emilia and 2024 Il Lombardia for the fourth time. His 2024 season is considered one of the greatest ever in cycling history. He finished the year as the world's number one ranked rider for the fourth time.
2025: Continued Success
Tadej Pogačar continued his strong performances in 2025. He started his season by winning the 2025 UAE Tour, taking two stage wins.
In the spring classics, he won 2025 Strade Bianche for the third time, despite a crash. He also won his second Tour of Flanders title. In his first Paris-Roubaix race, he finished second after a crash and a puncture. He then won 2025 La Flèche Wallonne and 2025 Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
In July, Tadej won the 2025 Tour de France for the fourth time. He won four stages and dominated the race, beating Jonas Vingegaard by over four minutes. He showed his strength in the mountains and time trials.
Key Rivalries
Tadej Pogačar vs. Jonas Vingegaard
Tadej Pogačar and Danish cyclist Jonas Vingegaard have one of the greatest rivalries in cycling. They have finished first and second in five Tour de France races in a row, from 2021 to 2025. Tadej won in 2021, 2024, and 2025. Jonas won in 2022 and 2023. Their battles in the mountains and time trials are always exciting to watch.
Tadej Pogačar vs. Mathieu van der Poel
Tadej Pogačar also has a big rivalry with Dutch cyclist Mathieu van der Poel. They often compete in the one-day "Classic" races. Both are considered the best one-day riders of their generation. Tadej has nine Monument victories, and Mathieu has eight. In the 2025 spring classics, they won all four Monuments between them.
Tadej Pogačar's Impact on Cycling
His Unique Riding Style
Tadej Pogačar is known for his exciting and unpredictable riding style. While many riders are careful with their energy, Tadej often attacks and takes risks. This makes races much more entertaining for fans. People say his style brings back the "classic" way of bike racing from earlier times.
Compared to Eddy Merckx
Many experts compare Tadej Pogačar to Eddy Merckx. Merckx is widely considered the greatest cyclist ever. After Tadej's big wins, Merckx himself called Tadej "the new Cannibal," which was Merckx's own nickname. Merckx believes Tadej could win the Tour de France more than five times.
After Tadej's amazing 2024 season, the comparisons grew even stronger. Some even said Tadej was now better than Merckx. Tadej's 2024 season, where he won the Giro-Tour double and multiple Monuments, is often compared to Merckx's best year in 1972.
About Tadej Pogačar's Life
Tadej was born in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and grew up nearby in Klanec. His mother is a teacher. His father used to work in a factory and later joined Tadej's former cycling team. Tadej is the third of four children. He speaks both Slovenian and English.
Tadej lives in Monaco with his partner, Urška Žigart. She is also a professional cyclist from Slovenia. They got engaged in 2021.
Career Achievements
See also
In Spanish: Tadej Pogačar para niños
