Pogačar's quest for a fifth Tour de France title begins

Tadej Pogačar embarks on his quest for a fifth Tour de France title this Saturday in Barcelona, a race where he has consistently made history. In his seven-and-a-half-year professional career, the Slovenian cyclist has amassed 121 victories, many achieved with remarkable style in cycling's most prestigious events. His dominance has led many to consider him not only the best cyclist of his era but potentially the greatest of all time.

Pogačar's journey in the Tour de France is a testament to his relentless pursuit of excellence. He has never finished lower than second place. His victories in 2020 and 2021 established him as a global superstar, while his second-place finishes in 2022 and 2023 served as powerful motivators, reminding him that competition remains fierce. These experiences have fueled his determination to stay on top.

Adapting his training and preparation, Pogačar has emerged even stronger since 2024. He has secured 58 wins in the last two and a half seasons, including two Tour de France titles, one Giro d'Italia, and multiple world and European championships. Andrej Hauptman, a sports director at UAE Team Emirates, reflected on Pogačar's Tour de France victories, highlighting the unique significance of each win and the lessons learned from challenging races and setbacks, like the fall that impacted his performance last year. Now, Pogačar and his team are focused on achieving a fifth victory, a milestone that places him in elite company with cycling legends.

Should Pogačar win, he would join an exclusive club of cyclists who have achieved five Tour de France victories, a feat matched only by legends like Jacques Anquetil and Eddy Merckx, excluding Lance Armstrong due to his doping-related disqualifications. This pursuit of a "fairytale five" underscores Pogačar's ambition and his potential to further cement his legacy in the annals of professional cycling.

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We all remember well how we won the Tour for the first time. It was something incredible. It was the first 'grand tour' where we aimed for the top, and everything turned upside down on the penultimate stage. On the way to the second victory, Tadej was confident throughout the entire Tour. We were very happy about the third victory because it brought us back to the top. Then, last year's Tour, where Tadej was phenomenal, but a fall left him with consequences. The road to Paris was not as easy as it might have seemed, but we succeeded. And now we are here, ready to fight for the fifth victory.