Already winner of four stages on this 2025 Tour de France, Tadej Pogacar made half of the path which leads him to the record of success on the same edition of the Grande Boucle. And in view of his recent performances and declarations, nothing seems to be able to prevent the Slovenian from going to tickle his illustrious predecessors.
An overwhelming domination that smells good records. After Rouen, Mûr-de-Bretagne and Hautacam, Tadej Pogacar won this Friday the time trial in Pyragudes, his fourth victory on the 2025 Tour de France that he is still knocking out more as the road rises.
If he already has a beautiful mattress general about his helpless dolphin Jonas Vingegaard (4 minutes and 7 seconds), the Slovenian world champion never seems satisfied. A hunger of cannibal which could bring it to a record co-led by the one whose nickname, Eddy Merckx. The Belgian is the only one to have won twice eight stages over the same round (1970 and 1974). Alongside him, Charles Pélissier (1930) and Freddy Maertens (1976) did this feat only once.
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“The team pays you to win”
The unrelated feast of “Pogi”, which does not fail to arouse suspicion, could well continue this Saturday during the Queen Pyrenean stage whose arrival will be awarded to Luchon-Superbagnères, after passages to the Cols du Tourmalet, Aspin and Peyresourde.
Depending on the race physiognomy – and in particular if a breakaway fails to take enough in advance on the group of the yellow jersey – the double winner of the large loop will not be deprived of crossing the finish line first. And he said it. “I’m not here to make enemies, but it’s the Tour de France,” he told journalists. “We cannot give up if the opportunity to win a step is arising. You never know when it is our last day.”
Before adding coldly: “I would say, honestly, that the team pays you to win steps, not to offer them to others.”
Records to drop
In view of the route, the eight success are well -reaching. He will even be the favorite of the three other mountain stages: Tuesday at Mont Ventoux, Thursday at the Col de la Loze and Friday at La Plagne. In the event of a full cardboard, the record would therefore be equaled.
But, if the last two seasons have made it possible to teach, it is that Tadej Pogacar can win everywhere, all the time. So, more hilly or “punchy” profiles could still suit him. The rugged stage between Nantua and Pontarlier or the final stage on the Champs-Élysées-energized by three passages by the Butte Montmartre-seem in the strings of the winner of the Tour des Flandres and Liège-Bastogne-Liège this year.
We could even dare to add that between Muret and Carcassonne this Sunday in the event of a small committee arrival, if the sprinters failed to switch to the peloton at the top of the last bump located 40 kilometers from the medieval citadel.
By the eight success this year, the Slovenian ogre can already make history, he who won six stages in 2024, his personal record. With 21 victories on the Tour on his counter, Tadej Pogacar can integrate this Saturday the top 5 of the greatest winners in the history of the race by equalizing André Darrigade. Far still the 35 success of Mark Cavendish, but for how long?
