Is Tadej Pogacar the most genetically gifted cyclist ever? He... might, according to a new study on the Tour de France champion
Cycling
Tadej Pogacar is without a doubt the fruit of an incredible cyclist who has found himself fitting perfectly in the requirements of the sport. But at the same time, he is incredibly gifted, genetically speaking. The Slovenian is a perfect mix of many factors that work in his favour and a new study carried out regarding his performances suggest he may have the highest VO2 max out of any Tour de France winner ever recorded.
Norwegian researcher Ole Kristian Berg developed a study on the topic of Pogacar for the Journal of Science & Cycling and his findings suggest that besides what has been previously said and reported of the Slovenian, his VO2 max is also certainly the highest out of any modern Tour de France winner - of those who had been measured. This a value that is a key component for pro cyclists' performance, as it interprets the ability to turn oxygen into energy - key for any endurance sport.
Pogacar's exact numbers are not publicly known, but Berg argues that they must be between 91 and 96ml/Kg/min. Chris Froome's was 88, Greg LeMond had 93 and is argued to be the highest amongst all measured top pro riders. This was based on Pogacar's climbing performances throughout the 2024 and 2025 seasons. Very accurate power estimates are calculated immediately after such performances in top cycling nowadays, and Berg's study takes into consideration those power values.
But the study from the Norwegian leaves room for improvement for the upcoming year taking into consideration what he believes is Pogacar's physiological ability: “Let's hope to see more feats pushing the limits of human physiological performance in the 2026 Tour de France.”
Berg isn't alone in finding Pogacar an unique athlete
UAE Team Emirates - XRG soigneur and masseur Joseba Elguezabal joked last year that "Tadej is so exceptional that when it comes to a massage even his muscles are in a class of his own. It’s not just me that says that. All the soigneurs on the UAE team give massages to all the different riders when we’re at training camp, and they’ve all noticed the same thing about Tadej. I was giving him a massage after Vallter in the Volta a Catalunya, a stage where he’d attacked in the rain and gone solo to win, and in barely a minute he was back to normal. It was just staggering".
Recently Slovenian coach Tim Podlocar argued too that the World Champion's genetics must be almost seen in pro cycling: "His physiology seems completely unimaginable to me. It is incredible how he can maintain such high numbers, such a strong rhythm, for so long, and still not arrive at the finish totally exhausted".
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- and another no-news article around the ‚2 tokyo jogging rounds‘ headline, this time spiced with some days old ‚news‘ that the LA and japan vacation trips come during or after the tdf route release. i am getting more and more annoyed by this time-stealing no-news crap. but who am i to complain? nobody forces me to come back for more ‚news‘ day after day …Ketterechts02-11-2026
- It would likely be a very steep section of 4.1 km, not changing the average gradient considerably, with the climb remaining 10.1 km at 11.8%. It would reach 20% on the gravel. It would start 1.6 km in, and finish with 4.2 km left to climb (before the short final descent)
Rafionain-Glas02-11-2026 - Welcome to the off-season.
santiagobenites02-11-2026 - guillaume martin is wuite a surprise as a gc rider.Ketterechts02-11-2026
- Who cares what Bruyneel thinks. He and his best mate Lance, the biggest fraud in the history of sport, have no place commenting on anything but how to lie and cheat!whit2pet02-11-2026
- Eeesh!Lozza02-11-2026
- bravo! a rider likes jonas needs motivation and he needs to believe in being able to reach goals. he - like anybody else in the world - doesn't believe that he can win the tdf with pogi present. and what's it worth for when pogi is not there? second class victory only. he has checked all three grand tours, so what is left if not retire? the classics! go for it, jonas!Ketterechts02-11-2026
- i am sure that under the pretext of medical examination a lot worse has happened when they were under.abstractengineer02-11-2026
- dude, Lemond never even was in the same race as Armstrong. He throws all these aspersions on other American riders who might usurp his throne as the greatest ever American racer. He doesn't say a single thing about (foreign) dopers who he actually raced against. Biggest douchebag move ever. I used to revere that guy, now I despise him. His actions are so weird.fatsupermodel02-11-2026
- This is just stupid, You do what you are good at not what you are weak at. He has no results to speak of when he participated. Even Froome, Conatdor had very little. With Pogi there he wont win none of the classics. he is already 30+ with a few years left at the top. It takes years to get good at classics. Is that really worth the effort???abstractengineer02-11-2026
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