Tadej Pogačar

Tadej Pogačar (born September 21, 1998, Komenda, Slovenia) is a Slovenian professional road cyclist for UAE Team Emirates and the most dominant stage racer of his generation. In 2026 he won his record-equalling fifth Tour de France title, joining Anquetil, Merckx, Hinault and Induráin as the only five-time winners.

By Alexandre Le Hégarat · datastats · Updated July 29, 2026

Tadej Pogačar: Five-Time Tour de France Champion

Tadej Pogačar burst onto the world cycling stage in 2019 when, in his very first professional season with UAE Team Emirates, he won the Vuelta a España at just 20 years old. A year later, he claimed the Tour de France on a stunning time trial penultimate stage, overtaking defending champion Primož Roglič in the final kilometres of the Planche des Belles Filles to win by 59 seconds. It was a performance that announced the arrival of a generational talent.

What makes Pogačar so dominant is the rare combination of abilities he brings: he climbs with an ease that leaves rivals gasping, time-trials at a level normally reserved for specialists, and attacks repeatedly within a single stage, a style that draws constant comparisons to Eddy Merckx, the five-time winner often cited as the greatest cyclist in history. Pogačar also excels at the Spring Classics, winning Il Lombardia and Liège–Bastogne–Liège multiple times, a versatility rarely seen in modern Grand Tour specialists who typically sacrifice one discipline for the other.

At the 2026 Tour de France, Pogačar cemented his place in cycling history. He won Stage 19 on Alpe d’Huez in the fastest recorded ascent in Tour history, breaking Pantani’s 1997 record, then defended his yellow jersey to claim a fifth overall title in Paris on July 26. Five wins at 27, matching Anquetil, Merckx, Hinault and Induráin: the debate about whether he can reach a record-breaking sixth is already underway.

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Tadej Pogačar was born on September 21, 1998, in Komenda, a small municipality in north-central Slovenia, about 20 km north of Ljubljana. He was formed through the Slovenian youth cycling system before turning professional in 2019 with UAE Team Emirates.

Tadej Pogačar was born on September 21, 1998, making him 27 years old as of mid-2026 (he turns 28 in September 2026). He is remarkable for having achieved five Tour de France victories and dozens of major race wins before his 28th birthday.

As of 2026, Tadej Pogačar has won the Tour de France five times: 2020, 2021, 2024, 2025, and 2026. This ties the all-time record shared by Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Induráin. Lance Armstrong won seven but had all titles stripped for doping. Pogačar is the youngest rider in history to reach five wins. Sources: letour.fr, CyclingNews.

Tadej Pogačar rides for UAE Team Emirates (registered in the UAE and backed by Abu Dhabi government sporting investment). He has been with the team since turning professional in 2019 and has won all five of his Tours de France under its colours.

No verified, publicly audited figure for Pogačar's net worth exists. What is documented: top-tier professional cycling salaries are not publicly disclosed, but the sport's leading riders are understood to earn multi-million euro annual contracts, combined with major commercial sponsorships. Any specific net worth figure you see online is an unofficial estimate.

Tadej Pogačar is in a publicly confirmed relationship with Ana Novak, a fellow Slovenian professional cyclist. The couple have been photographed together on multiple public occasions and both have acknowledged the relationship publicly.

Tadej Pogačar stands approximately 1.76 m (5 feet 9 inches) tall and weighs around 66–67 kg. His lean build and exceptional power-to-weight ratio are central to his ability to dominate mountain stages, particularly on steep, extended climbs like Alpe d'Huez.

Many analysts and former champions argue Pogačar is already among the greatest cyclists in history. With five Tour de France titles at 27, multiple Grand Tour appearances, victories at Spring Classics including Liège–Bastogne–Liège and Il Lombardia, his statistics draw frequent comparisons to Eddy Merckx, widely considered the all-time greatest. Whether he surpasses the record at six Tours remains the sport's defining question. It is an open debate; cross-era comparisons in cycling are inherently contested.

At the 2026 Tour de France, Pogačar set the fastest ever ascent of Alpe d'Huez in Tour history on Stage 19 (July 24, 2026), breaking Marco Pantani's record that had stood since 1997. He also became the youngest five-time Tour de France winner in history. Sources: CyclingNews, NBC Sports, CyclingUpToDate.

Tadej Pogačar turned professional in 2019 with UAE Team Emirates. In that debut season, he won the Vuelta a España at age 20, one of the youngest Grand Tour winners in history. He won his first Tour de France the following year in 2020.