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Who is Tadej Pogacar? Get to know 2025 Tour de France leader, likely 4-time champ
Who is Tadej Pogacar? Get to know 2025 Tour de France leader, likely 4-time champ

USA Today

time5 days ago

  • Sport
  • USA Today

Who is Tadej Pogacar? Get to know 2025 Tour de France leader, likely 4-time champ

The 2025 Tour de France has gone to plan, and that means star rider Tadej Pogačar is poised to win the event for the fourth time in his career. Pogačar has been the top dog in cycling over the last six years, though his battles with Jonas Vingegaard and Mathieu van der Poel can't be called one-sided. At the Tour de France, Pogačar is in line to win his fourth championship in six attempts, while Vingegaard (who sits second in this year's general classification) has won twice. What's impressive is that Pogačar has also shown proficiency in pursuing King of the Mountain titles as well, finishing atop the category twice at the Tour de France and once at the Giro d'Italia. With Pogačar holding big leads in the general and mountain classifications heading into the 21st and final stage, he's set to expand his personal trophy case on Sunday. Here is what to know about the 2025 Tour de France leader Tadej Pogačar: Tour de France Stage 20 results: Tour de France results: Race outlook after Kaden Groves wins Stage 20 Who is Tadej Pogacar? Meed the Tour de France star Tadej Pogačar, 26, has emerged in recent years as the biggest force in men's cycling. Per Rouleur, Pogačar, a Ljubljana, Slovenia native, took up the sport at nine years old, idolizing greats like Tour de France winners Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck. Pogačar started out with the Rog-Ljubljana cycling club, impressing in youth events — including the 2018 Tour de l'Avenir, a race for cyclists between the ages of 17-22 that takes place on much of the same course as the Tour de France — before moving on to his current team, UAE Team Emirates XRG in 2019. After a promising start as a professional, he won the 2019 Tour of California at age 20, making him the youngest cyclist to ever win a UCI WorldTour stage race. Shortly thereafter, he won three stages of the Vuelta de España, finishing third overall and claiming the Young Rider title at one of cycling's biggest races (a.k.a. the Grand Tours). Since then, Pogačar has been nothing short of dominant. In 2020, the plan for his debut at the Tour de France was initially for the youngster to be a support rider for UAE Team Emirates XRG's Fabio Aru. However, Aru withdrew after nine stages, and Pogačar seized the moment. Just 21 years old, he would pick up the yellow jersey, winning three stages en route to becoming the first rider since 1983 to win the Tour de France in his debut appearance. Over the past five years, Pogačar has an unparalleled record. He won the Tour de France again in 2021 and 2024, and currently leads the field by over four minutes at the ongoing 2025 edition. He claimed his first Giro d'Italia in 2024 as well, leaving a general classification win at the Vuelta de España as the one box left unchecked in his success at the Grand Tours. Pogačar has not raced in the Vuelta since 2019 and has not yet committed to the 2025 version, but speculation is rampant that he will do so later this year. Overall, Pogačar has won 14 stage races, 24 one-day races, and has been the top-ranked cyclist in the UCI World Rankings for four straight years. He also won the bronze medal in the men's road race at the Tokyo Summer Olympics. Tour de France 2025: How to watch, TV channel, streaming Every stage of the 2025 Tour de France will stream live on Peacock. Coverage will begin at 6 or 6:30 a.m. ET, depending on the stage. NBC will broadcast a highlights and analysis show after stage 21, with coverage beginning at 2 p.m. ET. Watch the 2025 Tour de France on Peacock

Healy stays ninth as Milan wins second stage
Healy stays ninth as Milan wins second stage

Irish Examiner

time23-07-2025

  • Sport
  • Irish Examiner

Healy stays ninth as Milan wins second stage

Jonathan Milan won a rain-soaked sprint finish in Valence to take his second stage win in this year's Tour de France, after a treacherous finish from which race leader Tadej Pogacar, and nearest rival Jonas Vingegaard, both emerged unscathed. Ireland's Ben Healy remains ninth overall, 17:52 down on Pogacar, after finishing 37th on the stage. In what was probably the final stage of the 2025 Tour suited to the sprinters, others were not so fortunate after a downpour made the final kilometres through surburban Valence horribly greasy. When the inevitable touch of wheels came it took down half a dozen riders, including stage three winner Tim Merlier, and Biniam Girmay, winner of the points classification in 2024, who somersaulted down the wet road into the barriers. As Milan celebrated his stage win, a predictable backlash was gathering pace against race leader Pogacar with just four days of racing to come, as Jean-René Bernaudeau, manager of the Total Energies team, accused the Slovenian's UAE Team Emirates XRG squad of arrogance. 'They're arrogant towards those who just want to live simply alongside them,' the Frenchman said of Pogacar's team. 'I expect their team manager to make that point to them.' Pogacar was dismissive of the Frenchman's comments. 'Arrogance is something, trying to win the Tour de France is another thing. I think a lot riders would see us as arrogant because we want to control every single kilometre of this race. We don't try to be arrogant, we just try to make our race as easy as possible. I think – this will sound super arrogant – but some guys can stay quiet.' On a day in which pro-Palestinian activists waved flags and unfurled banners in Dieulefit as the Tour peloton passed through, Pogacar was also questioned about his feelings on human rights in the UAE. 'I ride for UAE Team Emirates and if you go there, you'll see how the sport is growing,' Pogacar said. 'Kids love us, the locals love us when we ride with them. The sport is growing in the UAE, which I guess is why they have the team, to promote a healthy lifestyle.' The roadside protest in Dieulefit saw houses draped with Palestinian flags and there were reports of protesters holding up 'Starving is Killing' banners as the riders passed through. The town was honoured for sheltering Jewish people during the second world war. Last Wednesday a protester ran onto the finish line in Toulouse, wearing a T-shirt stating 'Israel out of the Tour.' He was tackled by Tour staff and is scheduled to stand trial for endangering the riders. After that incident, the Israel-Premier Tech team said that it 'respects everyone's right to free speech which includes the right to protest.' If Pogacar remains in a league of his own, with Vingegaard clinging to his coat tails, the battle for the final podium spot is likely to become intense in the next 48 hours, with Scotland's Oscar Onley currently the meat in a Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe sandwich. The German team's Tour debutant Florian Lipowitz is currently securely placed third overall, with Onley two minutes behind. But his teammate, Primoz Roglic, the most insouciant Grand Tour champion in the race, has now crept into the top five. Not everyone has been thrilled to see Roglic's re-emergence over the past few stages. 'Won't be buying Red Bulls anymore,' Onley said on Strava, after the Slovenian moved to 38 seconds behind him, following the Mont Ventoux finish. 'Not funding those attacks.' Meanwhile, volatile weather is predicted for the two remaining mountain stages, Thursday's high altitude finish on the Col de la Loze, at 2,304 metres and Friday's climb to the ski station at La Plagne, topping out at 2,o52 metres. As rain fell heavily on Valence and the Rhone valley, Francois Lemarchand, of race organisers ASO, said that change was in the air. 'A few days of cooler weather are coming and we could see a swing of 20 degrees. It will go from very hot to very cold, from one day to the next.' Guardian

UAE Team Emirates-XRG's Isaac del Toro claims fifth win
UAE Team Emirates-XRG's Isaac del Toro claims fifth win

Emirates 24/7

time22-07-2025

  • Sport
  • Emirates 24/7

UAE Team Emirates-XRG's Isaac del Toro claims fifth win

Picking up exactly where he left off at the recent Tour of Austria, Isaac del Toro produced a brilliant performance at the Clàssica Terres de l'Ebre to seal his fifth victory in just two weeks. The UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider went on the attack alone and ensured he would not be caught before the finish, becoming only the second-ever winner of this young Spanish one-day semi-Classic. Del Toro has now moved to 10 career victories, with his exploits at the Tour of Austria yielding four wins alone. The Mexican was the breakout star of this year's Giro d'Italia, and showed every bit of his class to win in Spain on Monday afternoon. Over a rolling parcours in Tarragona, Del Toro watched his teammates set a searing pace under the midday sun, with the peloton splintering under both the heat and pressure. One by one, his competitors dropped from the pack, and Del Toro began to sense an opportunity to grab the race by the scruff of its neck. That moment came on the Alt de Paüls. With the group whittled down to only the strongest riders, the UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider stomped on the pedals and powered his way off the front of the race. As the gradient rose, so too did the pressure, and for a short while, Natnael Tesfatsion of Movistar proved the only man able to follow Del Toro's wheel. In just two weeks, UAE Team Emirates-XRG's breakout star of the season has doubled his career victory tally, and if Monday's display is anything to go by, Del Toro is set for another exciting block of racing over the coming weeks. Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.

Cycling-Dominant Pogacar not in a giving mood as Tour lead swells
Cycling-Dominant Pogacar not in a giving mood as Tour lead swells

The Star

time18-07-2025

  • Sport
  • The Star

Cycling-Dominant Pogacar not in a giving mood as Tour lead swells

Cycling - Tour de France - Stage 13 - Loudenvielle to Peyragudes - Loudenvielle, France - July 18, 2025 UAE Team Emirates XRG's Tadej Pogacar in action during stage 13 REUTERS/Benoit Tessier LOUDENVIELLE, France (Reuters) -Tadej Pogacar has no intention of handing out freebies at this year's Tour de France - not even with the yellow jersey firmly on his back and rivals gasping for air in the mountains. After storming to his fourth stage victory, the UAE Team Emirates - XRG leader dismissed the idea that he should back off to spare his competitors - a trend that emerged during the Lance Armstrong era - insisting that every opportunity to win is one worth taking. "I'm not here to make enemies, but it's the Tour de France. You cannot just back off. The team pays you to win, not to give away. If there's an opportunity, you go for it," the Slovenian said. The world champion's commanding time trial victory on Friday further solidified his lead in the general classification, coming a day after he dealt a massive blow to his main rivals. The defending champion leads Jonas Vingegaard by a massive 4:07 after quadrupling his advantage over the Danish rider in two days. Yet Pogacar said he's not thinking about the next summit finish or iconic climb just yet. "The big point of the Tour was today," he said. "Now, we go stage by stage. The goal is to defend the jersey and keep the same gap. We can't burn out the team - we have to be smart." Asked whether his dominance risked alienating others in the peloton, Pogacar was unapologetic. "When I finish my career, I probably won't talk to 99% of the peloton anyway. I'll focus on my close friends and family." Despite the bravado, he remains acutely aware of how quickly things can unravel at the Tour. "In 2022 and 2023, I cracked. I had great tours, but I lost. You never know - a bad day can always come," he said, referring to his painful losses to Vingegaard. The three-time Tour champion also offered a rare moment of introspection when asked what keeps him pushing after every win. "What's the point of anything?" he said. 'I built my life around the bike. I met my closest friends and my fiancee through cycling. You just have to enjoy the moment - not just the victories." Still, with the finish in Paris looming, Pogacar shows no sign of slowing or sharing the glory, true to his 'Baby Cannibal' nickname, a reference to all-time great Eddy Merckx, the man he could emulate one day. Just like the Belgian he can win the Tour the year after claiming the world title, a feat achieved by only three riders, with American Greg LeMond in 1990 being the last to achieve it. (Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Toby Davis)

Tour de France Stage 7 results, standings: Tadej Pogacar wins, reclaims yellow jersey
Tour de France Stage 7 results, standings: Tadej Pogacar wins, reclaims yellow jersey

Yahoo

time11-07-2025

  • Sport
  • Yahoo

Tour de France Stage 7 results, standings: Tadej Pogacar wins, reclaims yellow jersey

Tadej Pogačar didn't give up the yellow jersey at the 2025 Tour de France for long. The defending champion and three-time winner of cycling's preeminent test sprinted past Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel and top contender Jonas Vingegaard near the finish line to win Stage 7 on Friday, July 11 and take back the overall lead at this year's Tour de France. Mathieu van der Poel of the Netherlands entered the race with the yellow jersey after finishing Stage 6 with a one-second lead over Pogačar, who was the pre-Tour favorite. Stage 7 also featured a late crash involving multiple riders, most notably Pogačar's teammate with UAE Team Emirates XRG, João Almeida. Mattia Cattaneo, one of Evenepoel's teammates with Soudal Quick-Step, also withdrew from the race about 70 kilometers into Friday's 197-kilometer course from Saint-Malo to Mûr-de-Bretagne Guerlédan. Advertisement Pogačar also took over first place in the chase for the green jersey during Friday's stage win and moved closer to Belgium's Tim Wellens, another UAE Team Emirates XRG teammate who will enter Stage 8 on Saturday with the polka dot jersey as the best climber thus far at the 2025 Tour de France. Here's a look at the complete stage 7 results and 2025 Tour de France standings after Thursday, July 10, as well as what's coming up for cycling's biggest race: TOUR DE FRANCE: Legend Greg LeMond reaps Congress's highest civilian honor. Stage 7 results Final results of the 197-kilometer Stage 7 from Saint-Malo to Mûr-de-Bretagne Guerlédan at the 2025 Tour de France on Friday, July 11. Advertisement Tour de France 2025 standings Tadej Pogačar, Slovenia: 25h 58' 04'' Remco Evenepoel, Belgium: 25h 58' 58'' (54 seconds behind) Kevin Vauquelin, France: 25h 59' 15'' (1 minute, 11 seconds) Jonas Vingegaard, Denmark: 25h 59' 21'' (1 minute, 17 seconds) Mathieu van der Poel, Netherlands: 25h 59' 33'' (1 minute, 29 seconds) Matteo Jorgenson, USA: 25h 59' 38'' (1 minute, 34 seconds) Oscar Onley, Great Britain: 26h 00' 53'' (2 minutes, 49 seconds) Florian Lipowitz, Germany: 26h 01' 06'' (3 minutes, 2 seconds) Primoz Roglic, Slovenia: 26h 01' 10'' (3 minutes, 6 seconds) Mattias Skjelmose, Denmark: 26h 01' 47'' (3 minutes, 43 seconds) 2025 Tour de France jersey leaders Yellow (overall race leader): Tadej Pogačar, Slovenia Green (points): Tadej Pogačar, Slovenia Polka dot (mountains): Tim Wellens, Belgium White (young rider): Remco Evenepoel, Belgium Who's wearing the rainbow jersey at 2025 Tour de France? In addition to the four traditional colored jerseys at the Tour de France, the reigning world road race champion wears a rainbow-colored jersey. It's white with five colored stripes – blue, red, black, yellow and green (same as the colors of the Olympic rings) — and is currently worn by Tadej Pogačar of Slovenia. 2025 Tour de France next stage Stage 8 is a 171.4-kilometer course on flat terrain from Saint-Méen-le-Grand to Laval on Saturday, July 12. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tour de France Stage 7 highlights: Tadej Pogacar grabs yellow jersey

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