Tadej Pogačar wins fourth Tour de France, one off all-time record
The 26-year-old sealed his fourth Tour de France title after three more weeks of dominance, but admitted fatigue crept in during the final days.
"We were comfortably in the yellow, but yeah, I was a bit tired in the last week, to be honest," Pogačar told a press conference, adding he wanted to enjoy the moment in Paris rather than dissect mistakes.
While his achievements have already placed him among the all-time greats in the race's 122-year history, Pogačar said cycling's relentless calendar and obsession with training create a dangerous cycle that could leave riders drained.
"Burnouts happen in sports, in a lot of sports, mental burnout, physical burnout. We train a lot. Cyclists are sometimes too obsessed with training, and everybody wants to train more and more and more," he said.
The world champion warned over-training combined with constant racing demands could trap riders in a cycle of fatigue that rarely allowed time for recovery.
"You see some riders have fatigue too early in the season and then the team needs you to race, race, race. In the end, you just keep going into this circle and you never recover," the UAE Emirates-XRG rider said.
"Then you come to October and you're like, finally a break. And then in December, you're trying to do it all over again."
For Pogačar, that risk is why he refuses to set lofty targets such as joining Merckx, Miguel Induráin, Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault with five Tour titles.
"Obviously it's not the goal to win five tours. Right now, I have no clear goals. Maybe the world championships this year and [the Tour of] Lombardy, but for now I just enjoy the moment and will think about the next goals quite soon," he said.
Pogačar also credited rival Jonas Vingegaard, saying their five-year duel was a privilege and pushed both "to the next level".
It is the first time two riders finish first and second in five consecutive Tours, Vingegaard having beaten Pogačar in 2022 and 2023 while the Slovenian edged his rival out this year, in 2021 and 2024.
After three gruelling weeks, Pogačar savoured the relaxed final stage in Paris.
"Today was pure racing and I enjoyed it quite a bit," he said with a smile.
Ben O'Connor was the best-placed Australian, finishing 11th, 34 minutes and 34 seconds behind Pogačar.
Reuters
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News.com.au
4 hours ago
- News.com.au
Tour de France 2025: Aussie cyclists rated as Groves, O'Connor, Plapp and more deliver big
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The Advertiser
5 hours ago
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Admitting his sleep's "been sucking" during the Tour de France, Alex Davies sheepishly felt like a domestique in his AFL return for Gold Coast. A fan of Tadej Pogacar, who claimed a fourth Tour title on Sunday, the big-bodied Davies insists he can be the footballing equivalent of the Slovenian star and win his own ball. The 23-year-old's 30 touches and 10 tackles in the Suns' historic 66-point defeat of the Brisbane Lions on Saturday showed that. But it was the 191cm midfielder's work on Josh Dunkley - designed to free Suns star Matt Rowell - that he was picked for. And Davies delivered as a footballing domestique - French for servant - as best-on-ground Rowell finished with 37 touches, 15 clearances and 12 tackles. "Domestique," Davies offered with a laugh, when asked if he felt like a Suns hit-man or bodyguard. "My sleep's been so bad, been sucking (while watching the Tour). "But yeh, a big body ... helping Rowelly. But I can get my own footy ... I can play my own game; I know what I can do." Davies played just seven AFL games in Hardwick's first year at the club in 2024 and had to settle for VFL domination this season until getting the call-up on Saturday. The Suns' midfield is stacked with Rowell, injured Touk Miller and captain Noah Anderson well supported by Bailey Humphrey and emerging trio Will Graham, Leo Lombard and Jake Rogers. Contracted until the end of next season, Davies said he was "shocked" to read reports last week that he was open to an earlier move to a rival club for greater opportunities. But, while insistent he was settled and happy at Carrara, the Cairns product didn't deny it. "All my mates sent it to me and I was like, 'What's going on?'," he said of the report. "The job at hand is getting to finals because it's a special opportunity we have right now and all I'm thinking about." Hardwick admitted Davies' selection was partly a horses for courses approach against a Lions midfield that had overpowered his own in recent outings. "The definition of insanity is … we didn't want to be having the same conversation if we lost the same way," he said, having also recalled Jy Farrar and Nick Holman. "It's taken me a bit of time to understand what that looks like against Brisbane. "They all stood up ... he's (Davies) only starting to understand what he may be and get an understanding of where he can end up." With the Suns now on the cusp of a maiden finals campaign - and potentially a top-four finish - Davies may be cottoning on to what's possible quicker than Hardwick realises. "A win like that ... it's pretty big and beating Brisbane, it's a big challenge," he said ahead of Saturday's clash with Richmond. "If we can do that .. we can go anywhere." Admitting his sleep's "been sucking" during the Tour de France, Alex Davies sheepishly felt like a domestique in his AFL return for Gold Coast. A fan of Tadej Pogacar, who claimed a fourth Tour title on Sunday, the big-bodied Davies insists he can be the footballing equivalent of the Slovenian star and win his own ball. The 23-year-old's 30 touches and 10 tackles in the Suns' historic 66-point defeat of the Brisbane Lions on Saturday showed that. But it was the 191cm midfielder's work on Josh Dunkley - designed to free Suns star Matt Rowell - that he was picked for. And Davies delivered as a footballing domestique - French for servant - as best-on-ground Rowell finished with 37 touches, 15 clearances and 12 tackles. "Domestique," Davies offered with a laugh, when asked if he felt like a Suns hit-man or bodyguard. "My sleep's been so bad, been sucking (while watching the Tour). "But yeh, a big body ... helping Rowelly. But I can get my own footy ... I can play my own game; I know what I can do." Davies played just seven AFL games in Hardwick's first year at the club in 2024 and had to settle for VFL domination this season until getting the call-up on Saturday. The Suns' midfield is stacked with Rowell, injured Touk Miller and captain Noah Anderson well supported by Bailey Humphrey and emerging trio Will Graham, Leo Lombard and Jake Rogers. Contracted until the end of next season, Davies said he was "shocked" to read reports last week that he was open to an earlier move to a rival club for greater opportunities. But, while insistent he was settled and happy at Carrara, the Cairns product didn't deny it. "All my mates sent it to me and I was like, 'What's going on?'," he said of the report. "The job at hand is getting to finals because it's a special opportunity we have right now and all I'm thinking about." 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ABC News
5 hours ago
- ABC News
Tadej Pogačar wins fourth Tour de France, one off all-time record
Tadej Pogačar appears on the verge of emulating cycling great Eddy Merckx after his fourth Tour de France win, but the Slovenian says he is in no rush to chase history, warning that the risk of burnout looms large in one of the most mentally and physically demanding sports. The 26-year-old sealed his fourth Tour de France title after three more weeks of dominance, but admitted fatigue crept in during the final days. "We were comfortably in the yellow, but yeah, I was a bit tired in the last week, to be honest," Pogačar told a press conference, adding he wanted to enjoy the moment in Paris rather than dissect mistakes. While his achievements have already placed him among the all-time greats in the race's 122-year history, Pogačar said cycling's relentless calendar and obsession with training create a dangerous cycle that could leave riders drained. "Burnouts happen in sports, in a lot of sports, mental burnout, physical burnout. We train a lot. Cyclists are sometimes too obsessed with training, and everybody wants to train more and more and more," he said. The world champion warned over-training combined with constant racing demands could trap riders in a cycle of fatigue that rarely allowed time for recovery. "You see some riders have fatigue too early in the season and then the team needs you to race, race, race. In the end, you just keep going into this circle and you never recover," the UAE Emirates-XRG rider said. "Then you come to October and you're like, finally a break. And then in December, you're trying to do it all over again." For Pogačar, that risk is why he refuses to set lofty targets such as joining Merckx, Miguel Induráin, Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault with five Tour titles. "Obviously it's not the goal to win five tours. Right now, I have no clear goals. Maybe the world championships this year and [the Tour of] Lombardy, but for now I just enjoy the moment and will think about the next goals quite soon," he said. Pogačar also credited rival Jonas Vingegaard, saying their five-year duel was a privilege and pushed both "to the next level". It is the first time two riders finish first and second in five consecutive Tours, Vingegaard having beaten Pogačar in 2022 and 2023 while the Slovenian edged his rival out this year, in 2021 and 2024. After three gruelling weeks, Pogačar savoured the relaxed final stage in Paris. "Today was pure racing and I enjoyed it quite a bit," he said with a smile. Ben O'Connor was the best-placed Australian, finishing 11th, 34 minutes and 34 seconds behind Pogačar. Reuters
