Phoenix 24
He did not just win races; he recalibrated what domination looks like on two wheels.
Ljubljana, October 2025. With statistics that border on the unbelievable, Tadej Pogačar has finished the 2025 cycling season as the undisputed benchmark of world road racing. The Slovenian rider, leader of UAE Team Emirates, has accumulated victories and podiums at a level unseen in the modern era, combining consistency, tactical brilliance and an endurance that has forced analysts to rewrite the parameters of sporting supremacy.
According to the latest data from the Union Cycliste Internationale, Pogačar completed the season with 18 victories, including two Grand Tours, four one-day classics and the World Championship road race, a feat last approached by Eddy Merckx more than four decades ago. His points total exceeded 9,000 on the UCI World Ranking, establishing a record margin over his closest rival, Jonas Vingegaard.
Pogačar’s dominance extended far beyond statistics. He became the first rider in history to win Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the Giro d’Italia and the World Championship in the same calendar year. In addition, his average climbing pace on key mountain stages broke previous benchmarks set by the sport’s greatest climbers. Data analysts at Europe’s top training centers have noted that Pogačar’s power-to-weight ratio reached 6.7 watts per kilogram on sustained climbs, an unprecedented figure in the bio-metric database of professional cycling.
In Latin America, sports scientists emphasized how his holistic approach to nutrition and recovery has reshaped elite preparation models. Meanwhile, commentators in Asia highlighted his global appeal, pointing out that he transcends national loyalties and embodies a new archetype of athlete—technical, humble and relentless.
Within Europe, the debate is shifting from admiration to concern over sustainability. Experts warn that the bar Pogačar has set may be unreachable for the next generation. Former riders describe his ability to maintain form across the entire season as “superhuman discipline supported by science.” UAE Team Emirates confirmed that his 2025 program involved continuous physiological monitoring, altitude adaptation and mental coaching focused on cognitive endurance.
Despite the near-mythical aura that now surrounds him, Pogačar maintains an understated presence. In recent interviews he dismissed talk of being a “new Merckx,” saying only that he rides “to see how far the body can go without losing joy.” That statement, simple yet revealing, captures the paradox of modern greatness: supremacy driven not by ambition alone but by curiosity.
The 2025 season will be remembered as the year when cycling’s vocabulary had to expand to fit Pogačar’s name. Records fell, limits blurred and the peloton followed in awe. What remains is not just a list of victories but the impression of a rider who turned data into art and endurance into poetry.
Phoenix24: analysis that transcends power. / Phoenix24: análisis que trasciende al poder.