History of Tadej Pogačar in Timeline

Tadej Pogačar is a Slovenian professional cyclist renowned for his exceptional versatility and palmares. Riding for UAE Team Emirates, he is one of the greats, having won three Tours de France and the 2024 Giro d'Italia. He also has an impressive collection of nine one-day Monuments and a World Championship Road Race victory. Pogačar's proficiency in time-trialing, classic races, and grand tour climbing has led to comparisons with cycling legends like Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault, cementing his status as one of cycling's greatest all-rounders.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

1904: Henri Cornet Wins Tour de France

In 1904, Henri Cornet won the Tour de France at the age of 19, becoming the youngest winner of the Tour.

1938: First Non-Sprinter to win three consecutive stages at the Tour since 1938

In June, Tadej Pogačar won stages 19-21 at the Tour de France, becoming the first non-sprinter since 1938 to win three consecutive stages at the Tour.

1965: Largest margin of victory since 1965

Tadej Pogačar finished the Giro d'Italia with a margin of nearly 10 minutes ahead of the runner-up, Daniel Martínez, which was the largest margin of victory at the race since 1965.

1970: All time record of wearing the leader's jersey after 39 stages (20 in the Giro, 19 in the Tour) ahead of Eddy Merckx with 37 in 1970

In June, Tadej Pogačar wore the leader's jersey after 39 stages (20 in the Giro, 19 in the Tour), an all time record ahead of Eddy Merckx with 37 in 1970 and Chris Froome with 34 in 2017.

1971: Largest winning margin at Il Lombardia since 1971

In October, Tadej Pogacar attacked from 48 km out in Il Lombardia, riding solo to win by over 3 minutes ahead of runner-up Remco Evenepoel, this was the largest winning margin at the race since Eddy Merckx in 1971.

1972: Eddy Merckx Wins Three Jerseys

In 1972, Eddy Merckx was the previous rider to win three jerseys in the Tour de France, a feat later matched by Pogačar.

1972: Comparison to Merckx's 1972 season

Tadej Pogačar's 2024 season has been compared favorably to Eddy Merckx's 1972 season; they both won the Tour-Giro double and multiple Monuments.

1974: Third male cyclist to complete the Triple Crown of Cycling after Eddy Merckx in 1974

After winning the UCI World Championships, Tadej Pogačar became the third male cyclist to complete the Triple Crown of Cycling, after Eddy Merckx in 1974 and Stephen Roche in 1987.

1974: Eddy Merckx Achieves Triple Crown of Cycling

In 1974, Eddy Merckx achieved the Triple Crown of Cycling.

1980: Largest winning margin since 1980

In April, Tadej Pogačar's victory at Liège–Bastogne–Liège included a lead of one minute and 39 seconds, the largest winning margin at the race since 1980.

1983: Last First-Attempt Tour de France Winner Before Pogačar

In 1983, it was the last time a rider won the Tour de France on his first attempt before Pogačar's victory.

1987: Third male cyclist to complete the Triple Crown of Cycling after Stephen Roche in 1987

After winning the UCI World Championships, Tadej Pogačar became the third male cyclist to complete the Triple Crown of Cycling, after Eddy Merckx in 1974 and Stephen Roche in 1987.

1987: Stephen Roche Achieves Triple Crown of Cycling

In 1987, Stephen Roche achieved the Triple Crown of Cycling.

September 1998: Tadej Pogačar Born

Tadej Pogačar was born in September 1998. He is a Slovenian professional cyclist.

Others born on this day/year

1998: Last Giro d'Italia and Tour de France Double

In 1998, it was the last time the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France double was completed before Pogačar's achievement in 2024.

2003: Biggest margin at La Flèche Wallonne since 2003

Tadej Pogačar secured a win at La Flèche Wallonne, attacking on the last passage on the Mur de Huy, winning with a margin of 10 seconds, the biggest at La Flèche Wallonne since Igor Astarloa in 2003.

2011: Attracts Andrej Hauptman's Attention

In 2011, Tadej Pogačar came to the attention of Andrej Hauptman, who later became his coach. Hauptman noticed Pogačar's talent while he was pursuing a group of older teenagers.

2017: All time record of wearing the leader's jersey after 39 stages (20 in the Giro, 19 in the Tour) ahead of Chris Froome with 34 in 2017

In June, Tadej Pogačar wore the leader's jersey after 39 stages (20 in the Giro, 19 in the Tour), an all time record ahead of Eddy Merckx with 37 in 1970 and Chris Froome with 34 in 2017.

2018: Deal Made Ahead of Tour de l'Avenir

Ahead of the 2018 Tour de l'Avenir, a deal was made for Pogačar to join UAE Team Emirates from the 2019 season.

2018: Wins Tour de l'Avenir

In 2018, Pogačar won the Tour de l'Avenir, showcasing his talent as a junior rider.

May 2019: Hauptman Joins UAE Team Emirates

In May 2019, Andrej Hauptman joined UAE Team Emirates as a directeur sportif after managing Pogačar in the Rog–Ljubljana team.

May 2019: Wins Tour of California

In May 2019, Pogačar won the Tour of California, becoming the youngest rider to win a UCI WorldTour stage race.

2019: Wins Tour of California

In 2019, at the age of 20, Pogačar became the youngest cyclist to win a UCI World Tour race at the Tour of California, marking an early career milestone.

2020: Comparisons to Eddy Merckx in 2020

In 2020, Cyrille Guimard claimed Tadej Pogačar was above the level of both Eddy Merckx and Hinault.

2020: Wins Tour de France

In 2020, Tadej Pogačar won the Tour de France, marking a significant achievement in his career.

2020: Competition with Mathieu van der Poel

Since 2020, Tadej Pogačar has frequently competed with Dutch cyclist Mathieu van der Poel in the same races at one-day classics.

September 2021: Engagement to Urška Žigart

In September 2021, Tadej Pogačar became engaged to his partner, fellow Slovenian professional cyclist Urška Žigart.

2021: Hauptman as Coach and Selector

As of 2021, Andrej Hauptman is Pogačar's coach and head coach and selector for the Slovenian national cycling team.

2021: Leads White Jersey Classification

During stage one of the 2021 Tour de France, Pogačar finished with the group of favorites and took the lead in the white jersey classification.

2021: Comparisons to Eddy Merckx during the 2021 Tour de France

During the 2021 Tour de France, former Tour winner Joop Zoetemelk compared Tadej Pogačar to Eddy Merckx after Pogačar took the yellow jersey and gained over 3 minutes on the other general classification contenders.

2021: Merckx and Colnago on Pogačar's accomplishments after Il Lombardia 2021

Following Tadej Pogačar's victory at the 2021 Il Lombardia, Eddy Merckx noted that Pogačar was the first cyclist to truly fulfill the promise of being "the new Merckx" based on his accomplishments. Ernesto Colnago expressed similar thoughts.

2021: Mirko joins Tadej's former team

In 2021 Tadej Pogačar's father Mirko joined Tadej's former team Ljubljana Gusto Santic as part of their management team

2021: Jonathan Vaughters Explains Pogačar's Success

In 2021, Jonathan Vaughters, Directeur Sportif of Team EF Education–Nippo, attributed Pogačar's success on stage eight of the Tour de France to weather conditions, chaotic racing dynamics, and the absence of a dominant team to control attacks.

2021: Monument Race Successes

In 2021, Pogačar achieved his first major Monument one-day race successes at the Giro di Lombardia and Liège–Bastogne–Liège.

2021: Wins UAE Tour, Tirreno–Adriatico, Liège–Bastogne–Liège, and Tour of Slovenia

In 2021, Pogačar won the UAE Tour, Tirreno–Adriatico, Liège–Bastogne–Liège, marking his first monument win, and the Tour of Slovenia, showcasing a dominant start to the season.

2021: Wins Tour de France

In 2021, Tadej Pogačar again won the Tour de France, solidifying his status in the sport.

2021: Pogačar and Vingegaard finished first and second at the Tours

Tadej Pogačar's rivalry with Danish cyclist Jonas Vingegaard is considered the defining narrative of the Tour de France in the 2020s. Pogačar and Vingegaard finished first and second at four consecutive Tours from 2021 to 2024: Pogačar winning in 2021 and 2024.

2022: Pogačar and Vingegaard finished first and second at the Tours

2023: Adds Tour of Flanders to Palmarès

In 2023, the Tour of Flanders was added to Pogačar's palmarès, adding to his list of Monument wins.

2023: Pogačar and Vingegaard finished first and second at the Tours

2024: Comparisons to Eddy Merckx intensified in 2024

During Tadej Pogačar's historic 2024 season, comparisons to Eddy Merckx intensified. After his win in the 2024 Giro d'Italia, Bernard Hinault stated "he’s like me and Merckx." Following the World Championships, Eddy Merckx proclaimed "It’s obvious that he is now above me."

2024: Completes Giro d'Italia and Tour de France Double

In 2024, Pogačar completed the first Giro d'Italia and Tour de France double since 1998, winning 12 stages across both races.

2024: Achieves Triple Crown of Cycling

In 2024, Tadej Pogačar became the third male cyclist to achieve the Triple Crown of Cycling by winning the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France, and the World Championships in the same year.

2024: Wins Tour de France and Giro d'Italia

In 2024, Tadej Pogačar won both the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, adding to his list of accomplishments.

2024: Pogačar finished the 2024 season

Tadej Pogačar finished the 2024 season with 25 wins and finished first in the Individual UCI World Rankings with a record 11655 points. His 2024 season is widely regarded as the greatest ever.

2024: Pogačar and Vingegaard finished first and second at the Tours

2025: Pogačar possibly equal to Merckx

During the 2025 Tour de France, Jacob Whitehead of The Athletic called Tadej Pogačar "a possible equal of Eddy Merckx — or more" in light of his "crushing dominance" at the Tour.

2025: Increased media coverage of rivalry with Van der Poel in 2025

In 2025, media coverage of Tadej Pogačar's rivalry with Mathieu van der Poel increased. Their dominance was highlighted in the 2025 spring classics, where the pair swept all four Monuments: van der Poel won Milan-San Remo and Paris–Roubaix; Pogačar won the Tour of Flanders and Liège–Bastogne–Liège.

2025: Planned race schedule for 2025 announced

In January, Tadej Pogačar and his team announced his planned race schedule for 2025: focusing first on the spring classics, including Milan–San Remo and the Tour of Flanders, before climbing-focused training leading into the Tour de France and world championships.

2025: Pogačar and Vingegaard faced off at the Critérium du Dauphiné

Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard have faced off at high-profile stage races like the 2022 Tirreno–Adriatico, 2023 Paris-Nice, and the 2025 Critérium du Dauphiné.