Golden tribute unveiled to Tadej Pogacar as UAE immortalises modern cycling icon

Tadej Pogacar has already rewritten cycling’s modern record book. Now, the UAE has frozen one of his most iconic gestures in time — unveiling a golden statue that places the sport’s dominant force at the heart of the nation that has adopted him as its sporting symbol.

Rather than depicting a sprint, a summit attack or a display of raw power, the sculpture captures something more understated yet instantly recognisable: Pogacar performing a deep bow in celebration. It’s a moment fans have come to associate with the Slovenian at the height of his superiority — first seared into global memory during the 2023 Tour de France, when he humbled Jonas Vingegaard on the mountain roads of the Pyrenees.

Many sporting monuments celebrate muscle and fury. This one celebrates something else: confidence delivered with grace. The bow has always been Pogacar’s victory language — a nod to fans, rivals and team-mates — and now it stands in the UAE as a permanent emblem of the era he has shaped.

It also represents the significance of his partnership with UAE Team Emirates - XRG. In the years since the project took flight, Pogacar has become more than the team’s talisman — he has become a national sporting reference point. Cycling academies, community rides and packed roadside crowds at the UAE Tour all trace their roots back to the success spearheaded by the 27-year-old.

Pogacar’s 2025 campaign was a season of imperial dominance rather than discovery. He secured his fourth Tour de France title (following victories in 2020, 2021 and 2024), became World Road Race Champion for a second consecutive year, added the European Road title, and swept an extraordinary three Monuments — Flanders, Liege and a record-extending fifth straight Lombardia. It was a year that confirmed not just supremacy, but continuity: an all-conditions, all-terrain champion defending every frontier at once.

Cycling has honoured few athletes in permanent form, and each monument carries its own mythology. Tom Boonen’s sculpted legs overlooking the pave of the Taaienberg. Octave Lapize’s giant sentinel on the Tourmalet. Nairo Quintana cast in full figure in Boyaca. Sir Bradley Wiggins immortalised in London bronze after Olympic glory.

Now Pogacar joins that select roll of riders granted physical permanency — his tribute standing not in Europe but in the Gulf, marking the shifting axis of global cycling influence as much as his personal greatness.

The timing of the installation is no coincidence. With the 2025 season freshly wrapped and rivals sharpening plans for 2026, the statue feels as much like a celebration as a challenge. A signal that the bar has been set — and set high.

Pogacar’s bow began as a post-race flourish. In gold, it becomes something else: a reminder that dominance need not roar to be heard, and that the sport’s most decisive moves are sometimes followed by quiet humility.

His rivals will study power files, altitude camps and race schedules. The UAE has chosen a different statement entirely: the champion is not done, and they are building history around him.