CyclingUpToDate Awards: Tadej Pogacar voted Individual Performance of 2025 for dominant World Championships triumph

In a year filled with unforgettable displays of power and nerve, readers have chosen Tadej Pogacar’s solo World Championships victory in Kigali as the defining ride of 2025.

The Slovenian superstar claimed a commanding win in our Individual Performance of the Year poll, earning 267 votes — a result that reflects just how extraordinary that rainbow jersey defence truly was.

Pogacar’s performance on the hilly Rwandan circuit was the kind of spectacle that instantly enters cycling folklore. Attacking long before the final lap and riding alone for well over an hour, he resisted repeated attempts from Remco Evenepoel, Juan Ayuso and Isaac del Toro to bridge across. By the finish, he had turned a tactical race into a solo exhibition — and secured back-to-back world road titles.

With fans still replaying that attack and its relentless, unshakeable tempo months later, the final vote was emphatic.

Pogacar’s Kigali ride was more than just a win — it was a show of range, resilience and race intuition on one of the most selective Worlds parcours of the decade. The victory crowned a season where he added both the rainbow jersey and European title to his palmares, underlining his status as the ultimate one-day threat on any terrain.

The battle for the remaining podium places in the poll highlighted the strength of 2025’s biggest rides. Simon Yates finished second with 124 votes for his dramatic Giro dItalia Stage 20 redemption on the Colle delle Finestre — a performance that sealed overall victory and rewrote old history in spectacular fashion. Wout van Aert completed the top three on 100 votes courtesy of his spectacular final-stage solo on the Champs-Elysees, turning the Tour’s first Montmartre finale into one of his greatest career statements.

From Monument showdowns to Grand Tour theatre, 2025 delivered drama in every corner of the calendar. But in the eyes of voters, nothing matched Pogacar’s masterclass in Kigali — a ride that set the tone for his year and reminded the peloton that when he commits from range, very few can even hold sight.

With another award now decided, our End of Year series rolls on — and more winners will be revealed soon as we crown the best of an unforgettable season.