ANALYSIS | The 5 races Tadej Pogacar must win in 2026 to surpass his perfect year

In 2024, Tadej Pogacar signed what for many was the best individual year in cycling history. So when in 2025 he surpassed that year's records, the UAE Team Emirates - XRG leader's status as an invincible rider became even heavier. If he were to improve this in 2026, what would he have to win?

If one thinks about it, it seems almost impossible for Pogacar and any other cyclist to surpass what he has achieved in 2025: Tour de France, World Championships, European Championships, Criterium du Dauphiné Tour of Flanders, Il Lombardia, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Strade Bianche and many more victories, in addition to being second in his debut at Paris-Roubaix and third at Milano-Sanremo.

But, as Tadej Pogacar knows he can win those last two aforementioned monuments, it is still possible that the records of this recently concluded campaign will be surpassed by the UAE rider. To do so, he will have to repeat most of the aforementioned triumphs, as he is expected to race in all of them again. But there are 5 races that stand out above the rest.

In order to talk about the "best year ever" by the end of 2026, Tadej Pogacar will have to win the Tour de France, again. Because he has done it three times, but also because it is the most important race of all, and it would mean his fifth title in the Grande Boucle. It would tie the all-time record currently held by Eddy Merckx, Miguel Induráin, Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault.

Sanremo is perhaps the race besides the Tour de France that is the most important to Pogacar. Over the past few years he has deployed different tactics to try and win what was formerly known as the 'sprinter's monument'. Nowadays it's far from that, and the rainbow jersey's climbing abilities means this is now also a race for the climbers and classics specialists to win, only.

This is not only because of him, but because of an incredibly strong UAE that fits their block better to the race every year and in 2025 exploded the race on the first half of the Cipressa. Only Mathieu van der Poel was able to follow and denied him of another mythical solo win in Sanremo. Will he be able to do the same next spring though? Specially if UAE bring Isaac del Toro and is able to use him this time around...

If Tadej Pogacar manages to beat Mathieu van der Poel in the "Hell of the North" in the spring, it would become the fourth monument that he would be a winner of. The most difficult one of all for him to win perhaps, although he showed zero issues in his debut, making experience seem like a non-factor. But it has to come so that he can continue to improve himself. The challenge will be brutal. Since 2023 there hasn't been a winner other than Van der Poel, and beating the Dutchman on his favorite race is only for the chosen ones.

Another race he will have to win will be the Montréal World Championships. Again, because he has done so twice, and needs to achieve the same to have a shot at improving his year. The course will be virtually the same as the World Tour race held every year in the Canadian city, which Pogacar loves so much. In fact, he swept the 2024 edition and could have won the 2025 edition, but decided to give the victory to his UAE teammate Brandon McNulty.

If Tadej Pogacar wins all the races mentioned in this list, he can afford to "fail" at a certain monument, such as Liège-Bastogne-Liège. But at Il Lombardia there is a record to beat.

After winning the last 5 editions in a row, the Slovenian tied Fausto Coppi as the cyclist who has won the "Classic of the Fallen Leaves" the most times. A sixth consecutive title would leave him at the top and reaching a milestone that will be very difficult to surpass again.