Tadej Pogacar is officially joining the GOATs of the Tour de France, matching an incredible five yellow jerseys at just 27 years old. When he rolls into Paris on Sunday, he’ll stand shoulder to shoulder with legends like Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Indurain. Chris Froome, with his four titles, is now looking up at Pogacar, who’s not just dominant, he’s rewriting the history books right before our eyes.
A Masterclass in Dominance
Honestly, we kinda knew this was happening. Pogacar snatched that yellow jersey way back on stage six, flexing on top of the Tourmalet. He just kept building his lead, grabbing more victories on stage 10 and 14, and then again on Friday at the summit of Alpe d’Huez. That wasn’t just any win, either. He scaled those famous 21 hairpins in a mind-blowing 35 minutes, 27 seconds. Think about that: he absolutely shattered a 29-year-old record! France’s Lenny Martinez pushed him hard, only losing by six seconds, but even he was beating his handlebars in frustration. Pogacar practically picks stage wins at will, adding five to his collection in this Tour alone. He’s now got 26 career stage victories at the Tour, which is crazy close to Mark Cavendish’s record of 35. It’s wild seeing a mountain monster chase down a prolific sprinter like that.
Beyond the Yellow: What’s Next for the Phenomenon
Saturday’s queen stage, a brutal back route up Alpe d’Huez via the Col de Sarenne, saw Pogacar leading the chase for the breakaway through 5,000m of elevation. Even with four Tour behemoths like the Croix de Fer and Col du Galibier, he couldn’t close the 3-minute, 30-second gap, and Ecuador’s Richard Carapaz, wearing polka dots, grabbed the stage win,his second in three days. Carapaz had an impressive final week, securing the King of the Mountains title. But let’s be real, Saturday’s result barely registers for Pogacar, because his name was already etched in the history books. This dude’s consistency is astonishing. He’s started nine grand tours and landed on the podium for every single one. Since his Liege-Bastogne-Liege win in 2021, he hasn’t finished outside the top five in 21 subsequent races, winning 13 of them! Merckx himself admitted Pogacar is the greatest road cyclist ever. He’s only raced the Vuelta a Espana once, finishing third in 2019, so that’s another title he could add to his collection. He’s still five wins behind Merckx’s 11 Grand Tour titles, but honestly, what’s stopping him?
When Pogacar crosses that finish line in Paris tomorrow, he’s not just celebrating his fifth yellow jersey. He’s looking ahead, ready to smash that record for a sixth, and then probably a few more after that. The dude is just built different.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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