Alberto Contador backs Tadej Pogacar to beat Mark Cavendish's Tour de France record: "He could pick up another 3 wins this edition without even really trying"

There’s no doubt that the 2025 Tour de France came very close to being decided on Thursday. Tadej Pogacar delivered a historic performance on the final climb of Stage 12 to Hautacam, destroying Jonas Vingegaard and putting more than two minutes into him.

The UAE Team Emirates - XRG star claimed his third stage win of this year’s race, taking his career total to 20 professional victories. The triumph earned him high praise from cycling legend Alberto Contador, who analysed the Slovenian’s spectacular ride in an interview with Eurosport.

“You have to try and find even the slightest glimmer of hope that Vingegaard can come back. But it would have to be a catastrophe — a crash or something like that. Because right now, Pogacar is operating on a whole other level, one that’s simply out of reach for the rest,” said Contador.

Last year, Mark Cavendish broke the all-time Tour de France stage win record with his 35th victory. Pogacar now sits on 20 — and at just 26 years old, it seems entirely possible that he’ll eventually surpass it.

“Tomorrow and the day after, he’s got two more very good chances to win again,” Contador continued. “Last year, Mark Cavendish joked with Pogacar, asking him never to break his Tour stage win record. But watch out — at this rate, he could pick up another three wins this edition without even really trying. We don’t know where his limits are.”

Contador also addressed the perception among some fans that Pogacar’s dominance is making the race predictable: “Some viewers say it’s monotonous, but we have to understand that we are witnessing, live and in real time, the man who could go on to become the greatest cyclist in history. Yes, it would be better if Vingegaard were closer — but we have to learn to enjoy this.”

The former rider concluded with a firm belief: Pogacar is on course to surpass even Eddy Merckx.