Nat Bromhead
That makes it three for Pogacar and two for Vingegaard, as one of the greatest-ever cycling rivalries plays out before our eyes.
After two years finishing second to Jonas Vingegaard, 25-year-old Slovenian Tadej Pogacar has won his third Tour de France. That gives him the 2020, 2021 and 2024 titles, with Jonas winning in 2022 and 2023. And five Tour de France podiums from five starts of the world’s greatest race!
As we continue to witness the history of one of the greatest rivalries playing out, imagine for a moment that neither Jonas or Tadej hadn’t ever taken up cycling. In that alternate universe, we’d be looking at a rider who had just scooped his 5th Maillot Jaune!
But back to the real world, which looks a little unreal these days, and what’s extra special about this year’s Tour victory is the fact it came on the back of his Giro win.
This first rider to win the Giro/Tour double since Marco Pantani did it in 1998, Pogacar has won 11 Grand Tour stages this year – 5 at the Giro and 6 at the Tour. That number 11 matches the great Eddy Merckx who won the same total number in 1970, 3 at the Giro and 8 at the Tour.
And while we’re on the Pog’s phenomenal figures, he’s now won 17 Tour stages, 3 Il Lombardias, 2 x L-B-L’s, 2 x Tirreno-Adriatico’s and 2 x Strade-Bianche’s … plus numerous others in his 84 professional victories.
Asked what winning the Giro /Tour double meant to him, Pogacer described the feeling as ‘incredible.’
“I would never have dreamed about this,” he continued. “Maybe some people think that Giro was the safety net if I didn’t succeed in the Tour de France, and for sure it would be if I did not succeed at the Tour de France.
“If I only won the Giro that would already be an incredible year but to win the Tour de France is another level,” he continued. “And doing both together is another level above that level … so I’m super happy and really proud that we did it.”
In addition to the first two Grand Tours of the year, in 2024 Tadej Pogacar has won Liege-Bastogne-Liege, the Tour of Catalunya and Strade Bianche.
So what’s next in 2024 for the rider of our generation? Well, the Olympic Road Race is certainly on his radar, as is the Rainbow Jersey.
“Van der Poel looks really good in the world champion’s jersey,” Pogacar said after Stage 21 in Nice. “I want to take it from him this year … but we will see. I do want to have a rainbow jersey on my back but I still have time for that.”
