Tadej Pogačar is set to secure his fourth Tour de France overall victory today, and it's fitting to analyze what makes the 26-year-old Slovenian the world's best Grand Tour rider.
Jeroen Swart, the performance manager for UAE Team Emirates - XRG, acknowledged that Pogačar needs new challenges and that the pursuit of a fifth Tour victory and other titles will only continue as long as the cyclist himself desires it.
"I think Pogačar is truly at his peak right now. The question now is how long we can keep him at this level, and it doesn't depend on age anymore, but mainly on motivation," Swart said. "The most important thing for Pogačar is to maintain his enthusiasm. He likes new things, like trying Paris-Roubaix or Milan–San Remo. In a way, the Tour is like a puzzle. You have to be good at time trials, in the mountains, stay healthy, and avoid crashes – but there's nothing new about that. That's why he wanted to race the Giro, and now that he's done it, he wants to win Roubaix to maintain motivation and keep his level."
Swart attributes Pogačar's peak form in recent seasons partly to a coaching change – in 2023, he began being coached by Javier Sola instead of Inigo San Millán. Success came quickly – in 2024, Pogačar won the Giro d'Italia, the Tour, and the World Championship gold. Swart confirmed that this year's Tour is very close to the 2024 level, where Pogačar also dominated and convincingly beat Vingegaard.
"In reality, Pogačar is almost at the same level as last year. The biggest development happened in 2023-2024 when he changed coaches," Swart said. "We made a lot of changes then, and the difference is clearly visible today. Tadej has simply maintained his level. I think Jonas Vingegaard was at his best last year, and he's not as strong this year. Tadej hasn't necessarily gotten better, but others can't compete."
Swart particularly praised Pogačar's recovery ability and his skill in adapting both his physique and training to transition from classics to the Tour. "Together with Javier (Sola) and the entire UAE team, we understand how incredibly lucky we are to work with him," he added. "He is the first person with this level of skill. This happens only once in a generation – it's like working with Roger Federer or Tiger Woods. It's simply incredible what they can achieve."
According to Swart, cycling has developed tremendously over the past decade. "I started coaching in 2003, and when I look back, what we do today is light-years away from what we did ten or twenty years ago, and it's constantly evolving due to data availability," Swart added. "Let's look at equipment, for example. In five years, we went from 23mm or 25mm tires to 30mm or even 31mm tires – this has significantly improved speed and aerobic performance, making it feel like someone is pushing you from behind, and you gain four to five kilometers per hour. Personally, I'm just an amateur, but I feel the difference. Imagine the benefit for professionals. We see it in our tests: on a 40-minute climb, equipment makes a difference of two to three minutes."
Arriving in Paris tomorrow. #TDF2025
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