Tadej Pogacar has amassed 99 professional victories across stages, one-day races, and general classifications.
Tadej Pogacar’s dominance in cycling remains undeniable.
As the reigning Tour de France champion prepares to defend his title in Lille on Saturday, he enters as the clear favorite to secure his fourth victory in cycling’s most prestigious road race at just 26 years old.
Last year, the Slovenian rider became the first since Mark Cavendish in 2009 to win six stages in a single edition, dominating the three-week race and finishing over six minutes ahead of his closest competitor, Jonas Vingegaard.
His control over the peloton appears to have only intensified in 2025.
Pogacar achieved the most recent of his 11 victories this year with an impressive performance at the eight-stage Criterium du Dauphine in June—a race often seen as a reliable indicator of a rider’s form heading into the Tour. Pogacar won three stages, securing the title by 59 seconds over Vingegaard.
This victory brought his career total to 99 wins across stages, races, and general classifications, marking a record among active riders. This success follows his triumphs in one-day races like Strade Bianche, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, La Fleche Wallone, and the Tour of Flanders, as well as the week-long UAE Tour earlier this year.
The UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider, who also holds the title of reigning road world champion, will be supported by a strong team, including his key domestique, Joao Almeida.
However, over the course of 21 challenging stages—which, in the race’s 112th edition, will demand riders to conquer the formidable climbs of Hautacam, Mont Ventoux, Col de la Loze, and La Plagne—and with world-class competitors surrounding him, Pogacar’s victory is far from assured until the peloton crosses the finish line on the Champs-Elysees in Paris.
Among those hoping to challenge Pogacar, two-time champion Vingegaard poses the most credible threat.
The 28-year-old Dane has demonstrated his ability to defeat Pogacar, securing dominant victories in both 2022 and 2023, contributing to the pair’s captivating rivalry in recent years.
The intensity of their competition is highlighted by the fact that, over the past four Tours combined, Pogacar holds a narrow overall lead of just one minute and 25 seconds over Vingegaard—approximately one second per stage.
Adding to Vingegaard’s advantage is the fact that Visma-Lease a Bike arguably possesses the strongest team, with Giro d’Italia winner Simon Yates of Britain, along with experienced Grand Tour riders Sepp Kuss, Wout van Aert, and Matteo Jorgenson providing support.
Vingegaard’s preparations were hampered last year by a serious crash at the Itzulia Basque Country. While he suffered a concussion in a crash at Paris-Nice in March, he appears to be regaining form after finishing second to Pogacar at the Dauphine.
Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar have collectively won the past five editions of the Tour de France.
Completing last year’s podium was Remco Evenepoel, who achieved an impressive third place in his race debut.
The Belgian rider, a double Olympic champion after winning road race and time trial golds at Paris 2024, carries Soudal-QuickStep’s hopes following a fourth-place finish at the Dauphine. However, he is still working to reach his peak form after sustaining multiple injuries in a training accident in December.
While he showcased his time trial prowess by winning stage four, the former Vuelta a Espana winner finished over four minutes behind Pogacar overall.
The 25-year-old was narrowly edged out of the podium by Florian Lipowitz of Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe, who are expected to prioritize Primoz Roglic in their quest for a general classification podium finish.
The team’s head of performance, Dan Lorang, admitted to the cycling news outlet Velo, external this month that Pogacar “is one level above,” adding, “We have to accept that’s how it is, and we cannot negotiate it.”
Nevertheless, Roglic, who was left heartbroken when compatriot Pogacar snatched Tour de France victory from him on the penultimate stage in 2020, possesses an excellent Grand Tour pedigree as a five-time winner of cycling’s multi-week races (four Vuelta a Espana titles and one Giro d’Italia victory).
However, after winning the Volta a Catalunya in March, Roglic crashed out of this year’s Giro, and it remains to be seen whether the 35-year-old can recover in time to compete at the highest level in the Tour.
Should he struggle, the team might decide to unleash the promising 24-year-old German rider, Lipowitz, who has also placed second overall at Paris-Nice and fourth at the Itzulia Basque Country in 2025.
Four jerseys are up for grabs at the Tour de France.
While the focus remains on the battle for overall Tour de France victory, there are many other aspects to follow.
In addition to stage wins, riders and their teams will be competing for four jerseys across the 21 stages:
Yellow jersey: General classification – awarded to the overall race leader who has completed the race in the shortest time (last year’s winner – Tadej Pogacar)
Green jersey: Points leader – awarded based on cumulative points earned in stages (points vary depending on stage type) and intermediate sprints (last year’s winner – Biniam Girmay)
Polka dot jersey: King of the mountains – awarded based on cumulative points earned on categorized climbs (last year’s winner – Richard Carapaz)
White jersey: Best-placed young rider under the age of 26 (last year’s winner – Remco Evenepoel)
Sprinters will compete head-to-head for stage victories when the terrain allows, with contenders such as Jasper Philipsen, Biniam Girmay, Tim Merlier, and Jonathan Milan among the main favorites after record-breaking Mark Cavendish’s retirement last year.
Expect aggressive riders like Julian Alaphilippe to seek breakaway opportunities in pursuit of stage wins for their teams.
British team Ineos Grenadiers will be among those chasing stage glory, but Briton Tom Pidcock, who departed to join Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team, will not participate in this year’s Tour de France.
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