ANALYSIS: 5 riders who have bounced back from difficult seasons in the past, including Tadej Pogacar and Chris Froome
Cycling
Cycling is a sport that demands not just physical greatness but also immense mental strength, as riders face brutal races, unpredictable crashes, and personal challenges. While setbacks are inevitable, it’s the comebacks that truly define champions.
As the 2025 season draws ever closer, many riders will be hoping to redeem themselves after challenging seasons in 2024. This article delves into five inspiring stories of cyclists who rebounded from difficult seasons to achieve greatness, including Tadej Pogacar and Chris Froome, whose comebacks others will be looking to replicate this year.
1. Tadej Pogacar: 2024
Tadej Pogačar’s 2024 season is widely regarded as one of the greatest in cycling history, if not the greatest ever. Winning the elusive Triple Crown, comprising the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France, and World Championships, along with two monuments, 12 Grand Tour stage victories, and multiple classics, Pogacar redefined what was possible in the modern era of racing. However, this triumph was born from the pain of a difficult 2023 season.
In 2023, Pogacar entered the Tour de France as a two-time champion and one of the sport's brightest stars. However, his season took a challenging turn when he suffered a wrist fracture at Liege-Bastogne-Liege in April. This injury hampered his preparations for the Tour, and he faced a formidable rival and defending champion in Jonas Vingegaard. While Pogacar managed two stage wins, Vingegaard’s dominance was undeniable that year, particularly in the latter stages of the race.
The third week of the Tour highlighted Pogacar’s struggles. In the stage 16 time trial, he lost nearly two minutes to Vingegaard, in a stage where Pogacar himself was miles better than the third placed rider. The next day, Pogačar's fatigue reached a breaking point on the mountainous stage up the brutal Col de la Loze, where he dropped like a stone and was heard over the team radio saying, “I’m gone, I’m dead.” These performances showcased how comprehensively Vingegaard had outmatched him in 2023.
The defeat spurred Pogacar to come back stronger in 2024. His Triple Crown victory, coupled with wins at Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Il Lombardia, solidified his place among the sport’s all-time greats. Pogacar’s rebound is a testament to his determination to learn from setbacks and use them as fuel for success, and he’ll be hoping for more of the same in 2025.
2. Mark Cavendish 2021
Mark Cavendish, often hailed as the "Manx Missile," appeared to be nearing the end of his career by 2020. Battling illness, injuries, and mental health struggles, Cavendish endured a prolonged victory drought. Between 2016 and 2020, the once-dominant sprinter found himself struggling to secure wins and facing questions about whether he could return to the top, and he did not win a Tour de France stage following 2016 for five years.
However, in 2021, Cavendish was given an unexpected opportunity by Deceuninck–Quick-Step. Initially brought in to support other sprinters, circumstances changed when Sam Bennett, the team’s lead sprinter, was unable to participate in the Tour de France. Cavendish seized the moment and delivered one of the most remarkable comebacks in cycling history.
Cavendish stunned the cycling world by winning four stages of the Tour, stages 4, 6, 10, and 13, bringing his career tally to 34 stage wins and equalling Eddy Merckx's long-standing record. He also claimed the green jersey, an achievement he hadn’t accomplished since 2011. His performances in 2021 reminded everyone of his raw talent and resilience, marking a fairy-tale return to form, and he of course finally broke Merckx’s record and retired at the end of 2024.
Cavendish’s 2021 season is a powerful story of redemption, proving that even when a career seems over, sheer determination and the right opportunity can reignite greatness from the ashes.
3. Bradley Wiggins: 2012
In 2011, Bradley Wiggins was among the favourites for the Tour de France. However, his campaign came to a premature end due to a crash on stage 7, resulting in a broken collarbone. It was a bitter blow for Wiggins, who had shown promise in the previous year’s race.
Rather than letting the setback define him, Wiggins used it as motivation to refine his preparation for 2012, and with the support of Team Sky, he entered the season with laser focus. The results were nothing short of spectacular. Wiggins dominated the Tour de France in 2012, becoming the first British cyclist to win the prestigious race. His victory was built on his exceptional time-trialling abilities and consistent performances in the mountains.
The crowning moment of Wiggins’ 2012 campaign came shortly after the Tour, at the London Olympics, where he won the gold medal in the men’s time trial, further cementing his place in cycling history. His ability to overcome the disappointment of 2011 and achieve such remarkable success in 2012 shows just what the world’s best riders are capable of when pushed to the limit.
4. Chris Froome: 2015
Chris Froome’s career is one of the most impressive stories in the history of cycling. After finishing second in the 2012 Tour de France while supporting Bradley Wiggins (when arguably Froome was in better shape to win), Froome established himself as a Grand Tour contender by winning the Tour in 2013. However, his title defence in 2014 was derailed by a series of crashes early in the race, and Froome suffered fractures in his wrist and hand, forcing him to abandon the Tour on stage 5.
Determined to reclaim his place at the top, Froome dedicated himself to recovery and preparation. His efforts culminated in a triumphant return to the Tour de France in 2015, where he secured his second overall victory. Froome went on to dominate the Tour in the following years, winning three consecutive titles from 2015 to 2017, and after winning the Giro in 2018 he held all three grand tour titles at the same time.
Froome’s willpower in the face of setbacks, including injuries and fierce competition, highlights his mental fortitude and commitment to excellence. Without being denied the chance to lead in 2012, and the crash of 2014, he may never have built the extreme mental strength and hunger to dominate as he did.
5. Primoz Roglic: every year
Primoz Roglic seems to be in need of a comeback every year doesn’t he? But one thing no one can deny about Roglic is his ability to bounce back, as he has done time and time again. One of the most heartbreaking moments in sports history came during the 2020 Tour de France, on that memorable stage 20 time trial. Leading the race heading into the penultimate stage, Roglic appeared poised to claim his first Tour victory, however, a stunning time-trial performance by Tadej Pogacar saw Roglic lose the yellow jersey in dramatic fashion, finishing second overall.
The disappointment was profound, but Roglic used it as motivation to come back stronger, and just a month later he was victorious in the rescheduled Vuelta a Espana of 2020. In 2021, he returned to the Vuelta a Espana after crashing out of the Tour, a race he had already won in 2019 and 2020, and dominated the event to secure his third consecutive victory. Roglic also claimed Olympic gold in the time trial that year, proving his ability to deliver under pressure.
ROglic has since won the Vuelta again in 2024, to bring his tally to four red jerseys, and he also finally gained redemption by winning a final stage mountain time trial to win the Giro d’Italia in 2023. Not bad for a nearly man is it?
Roglic’s career exemplifies the importance of perseverance and learning from setbacks. His ability to bounce back from the disappointment of the 2020 Tour and achieve success on multiple fronts proves his status as one of cycling’s elite, even if that stage in 2020 may always loom over him.
These five cyclists—Tadej Pogacar, Mark Cavendish, Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome, and Primoz Roglic—demonstrate how it possible to come back stronger from a year of hardships. Their stories of overcoming adversity to achieve greatness inspire fans and remind us that setbacks are merely stepping stones to success, and many riders will be hoping to learn from them in 2025.
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- He’s funny, Paris-Roubaix should be just his thing, just like the hurt and suffering of an hour record but longer ;-) Honestly, having achieved that I expected him to already have a few more prizes, maybe he’s not got that racing attitude, better at riding against himself?Mistermaumau13-01-2025
- That’s big news??Mistermaumau13-01-2025
- Limit speed in a race? Why even race then? The only solution I can imagine is a mandatory safety course starting at grass roots. Or, it has to come down to safety equipment. Will there ever be a safe equivalent for cycling like the exploding chaps for motorbikes?
TRjens13-01-2025 - It would be difficult for him to ride the Tour even if he wanted to, as his team didn't obtain a wildcard invitation.
santiagobenites13-01-2025 - love ganna, always has a big smile on his face. would love to see him notch some big wins. MSR and Roubaix really are both kinda freak shows, never really know who’s going to take them. the strongest rider basically always wins a race like Flanders, but MSR is often about timing and Roubaix can have a lot to do with just luck. i don’t think ganna would ever be the per se “strongest” at either, not with pog, mathieu, wout and maybe mads around, but things could break right for a big engine like him in either or both.OCexile13-01-2025
- He probably won't be able to fight for GC podium in a grand tour anyway. I haven't seen anything to suggest otherwise. His performance wasn't consistent enough for 3 weeks of race.
KerisVroom13-01-2025 - AmenMistermaumau13-01-2025
- Thank you Thijs for bringing some rationality back into this pointless rant. I know of no sport that doesn’t see continuous improvement, either steadily or in erratic steps, all I see is that the average amateur now beats champions of 2-3 generations ago, this says it ALL, humans progress, all the time when they apply the collected knowledge and methods. Coming from another sport I was always surprised at how backward cycling training was in comparison, all they’ve done is catch up. There have always been individuals who lead the way in progress whilst the lower levels take more time to catch up, but catch up they always do. The 4 minute mile or 10s sprint was once seen as unattainable, I’m pretty sure Van Gelder has never looked at a list of how many have now run faster. Next is the 2h marathon. Yes, there are dopers trying to skip the line but that doesn’t mean you can just blindly accused a winner or the best. Pog is no better than Vin in certain situations, no better than MVDP in others and isn’t unbeatable, are ALL of them doping then, with the same miracle product/technique? And why is it just them, you’d imagine if it was so effective and untraceable, they’d ALL be buyers.Mistermaumau13-01-2025
- There is for and against, the discussion is definitely worth having in order to find acceptable compromise. I don’t really know why numbers are important, you can also just play with balancing, 3 or 4 promoted / demoted instead of 2? Reducing teams to 7 to accommodate 23 or 24? Also, before jumping the gun, they need to look at (possible) consequences, all of them which are often overlooked. There are huge implications financially, we should think carefully to see how things can’t be exploited by “investors” buying their way into GTs too easily, especially now that things like contract breaking has become nothing more than a financial burden.Mistermaumau13-01-2025
- Exactly, most people who watch cycling have no idea or easily forget the skill and danger and mostly, the experience needed to ride safely in a peleton which is often akin to a flock of birds or school of fish with certain differences. Firstly, they still have individual goals, secondly they are far more limited in space by size and direction of their path, thirdly they have far more unforeseen obstacles, spectators, signs, road damage, holes, etc, fourthly, they have a machine attached which they have to control perfectly and also, speed and trajectory changes can be more sudden, especially during an incident/crash leading to a cascading of unpredictable events. Regarding the speeds at which the peleton advances (generally 35-70km/h), it is comparable to cars in traffic. Can you imagine cars moving in such unison with so little space between each other (my wife gets nervous if I’m 2 bike lengths behind a car and can’t fathom my explanation that from cycling I have an in-built reaction mechanism to be fully focused for all eventualities from the many hours spent at mere cm from the preceding rider who could brake hard at any moment for any reason I may not have noticed before him. Someone might now point out car racing takes place at far higher speeds, yes but there are huge differences, firstly, they usually only have one or two competitors at the time to focus on (and in rallye driving, none at all), secondly the roads are far wider, more perfect and without obstacles, thirdly, they are still very protected in a box and in case of an incident, trajectories and impacts are far easier and safer to predict due to momentum so all in all they can drive in a way that looks far riskier when it actually isn’t and they can focus far more on themselves than everyone else. As you’ve said, you are not going to change safety by any of the simplistic suggestions being thrown around, the reasons lie deep and are unlikely to disappear. It may be better to try to look at ways to promote less peleton. I have some interesting, nasty, revolutionary ideas, they could even make cycling a more enjoyable, exciting sport to watch, but it’s unlikely any will be acceptable, change is slow and incremental, even mobile phones took a generation to overcome resistance.Mistermaumau13-01-2025