“I’ve been in this business for many years... I’ve never seen anything like it” – Belgian coach astonished by exceptional Tadej Pogacar
Cycling
The way Tadej Pogacar has ridden through the final weeks of the 2025 season has left the cycling world in awe. His emphatic solo victories at the World Championships, European Championships and Il Lombardia may have lacked suspense, but they were nothing short of breathtaking in their dominance.
Among those left shaking their heads in admiration is Belgian trainer Paul Van den Bosch — a veteran coach who has worked with riders such as Tim Wellens. “I’ve been in this business for many years,” he told Sporza. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
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A level above the rest
Pogacar’s autumn run has been defined by relentless control and sheer physical superiority. At the Worlds in Kigali, he dismantled the field with a long-range solo reminiscent of cycling’s golden eras. A week later, he did the same again at the European Championships — and then at Lombardia, sealing one of the most dominant late-season campaigns in recent memory.
Where most top riders begin to show cracks after a long year, Pogacar appears to rise to an even higher level. Van den Bosch believes that’s precisely what sets him apart.
“Today, a rider’s performance level is determined by their physical capacity,” he explained. “Everyone trains hard these days. But the real question is: who can push the hardest? Pogacar is an exception.”
Training at a different intensity
That “exception” isn’t just visible on race day. Behind the scenes, Pogacar’s training numbers are extraordinary. His endurance rides are reported to sit between 320 and 340 watts in Zone 2 — figures that most professionals could only sustain in a race.
“That’s around five watts per kilo for him,” Van den Bosch noted. “For most riders, that would already be a maximal training session. But he can keep it up for six hours. He’s capable of completing almost every ride at high intensity, while others need to build their training around easier blocks. Even his easy rides are at a higher power than the rest.”
It’s that ability to train at race pace that explains why Pogacar often looks so untroubled in the peloton. At Strade Bianche earlier this year, he famously rode away from the bunch at what he later called “training speed” — a pace that was already dropping world-class opposition.
“When he’s still in Zone 2 in a race, he’s burning fat while the others are deep into their glycogen stores,” Van den Bosch said. “That means when the finale comes, he can still go full gas for two more hours. That’s the difference.”
Beyond dominance
Pogacar’s 2025 season has been one for the history books. After reclaiming the yellow jersey at Tour de France, he went on to win the rainbow jersey in Kigali, backed it up with the European title, and closed with a record-breaking fourth straight Lombardia triumph. The Slovenian has long been a generational talent — but this autumn, he has operated on a level even his rivals can barely comprehend.
Van den Bosch summed it up simply: “I’ve seen many great champions in my time. But what Pogacar is doing right now… we’ve never seen anything quite like it.”
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
- I'm picking .... .... Never mind 🫥flyer07-11-2026
- If Tiberi has a better and more consistent 2027 I somehow doubt it will be because of this victorious warning. Unless his preparation has been off, cycling isn't football.flyer07-11-2026
- Love this guy. He is such a pure racer.mij07-11-2026
- Fair enough. Everyone’s entitled to one and I respect yours! Nothing wrong with being a one week and GT guy if that’s his vibemij07-11-2026
- LOL...it's a predetermined finish ! N one is 'clashing' at these exhibition crits!frieders307-11-2026
- Surely the UCI and the race organisers have a responsibility to ensure the best medical care is available to riders when incidents like this happen. All very well pushing for global expansion but not so good if riders lives are put at risk because medical support is not up to scratch.Andy12306-11-2026
- Well it clearly helps that this was Pidcock's own car, no?Occam06-11-2026
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