“Pogacar exceeded expectations and was even more dominant this season” — American ex-pro reviews the 2025 season

Bobby Julich, former American professional cyclist, reflected on what he described as another phenomenal season of racing from start to finish.

In his detailed season recap he shared with Velo, Julich reviewed standout performances across four main categories: Grand Tours, classics, sprinting, and teams. Pogacar was obviously the center of attention, after a historic and dominant season in which he won the Tour de France, World and European Championships, 3 monuments and plenty of other races.

“After watching Tadej Pogacar pull off the triple crown by winning the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France, and World Road race championship in 2024, I believed that I had just witnessed the greatest season in modern-day cycling history,” Julich wrote. “I was worried that the resulting fatigue from his near perfect year would result in a mediocre 2025 campaign, but Pogacar exceeded expectations and, in my eyes, was even more dominant this season.”

For Julich, as for everyone else, the choice for Best GC Rider was straightforward. “The obvious choice is Tadej Pogacar,” he said. “He won every stage race that he participated in with victories in the UAE Tour, Critérium du Dauphiné, and the Tour de France.”

Julich also praised João Almeida for a strong season, finishing on several podiums and winning three consecutive stage races. Among the Breakout Performances, Julich highlighted Florian Lipowitz, whose “massive” third place at the Tour de France confirmed his potential. “I’m curious how things will work out with Remco joining the team, though,” he added.

Tom Pidcock earned the Surprise Performance mention after an impressive third at the Vuelta España. “We are all well aware of his talent in one day classics and shorter stage races, but I was impressed, after a long season both on and off the road, that he was able to finish third in the Vuelta España. Don’t tell Tom that he can’t do anything as he will make sure he proves you wrong.”

Meanwhile, Disappointing Performance went to Primož Roglic. “He did win Volta Catalunya but didn’t seem to be the normal Primoz that we are used to seeing. He’s still a legend and will be interesting to see how he deals with Lipowitz and Remco Evenepoel as rising stars on his team,” Julich noted.

In the Best Classics Rider category, Julich again placed Pogacar at the top once again, citing his victories at Strade Bianche, Tour of Flanders, Flèche Wallonne, Liège–Bastogne–Liège, and Lombardia. “He showed both strength and tactical prowess that most Grand Tour winners can only dream of,” Julich wrote.

Mathieu van der Poel received an honorable mention after his triple win in March (Milan-San Remo, E3 Saxo Classic, and Paris-Roubaix), while Julich praised Mads Pedersen’s “power and attacking style all season long.”

Neilson Powless was, in Julich’s view, the Surprise of the Year in the classics, winning Dwars door Vlaanderen against top competition. By contrast, he labeled Wout van Aert’s year as below par, writing: “Perhaps he has just spoiled us over the years but just seemed to be off his A-game.”

In the Best Sprinter category, Julich selected Tim Merlier for his “consistent” performances throughout the year. Olav Kooij received an honorable mention for delivering results without a dedicated lead-out train, while young Matthew Brennan was hailed as the breakout talent. “To be in his first year in the World Tour at 20 years old and to already have 12 wins to his name? There’s much more to come from this kid,” Julich said.

Paul Magnier impressed with his consistency throughout 2025. “Normally when you see a young French rider win the 1st stage of Etoille des Bessèges you don’t normally see him for the rest of the year, but Paul was consistent and strong throughout 2025. With almost as many wins as Tadej this season, I am sure that he will be put in some bigger races next year. I’m looking forward to watching his progression.”

On the other hand, he expressed disappointment with Biniam Girmay’s winless season: “After winning 3 sprint stages and the green jersey in the Tour de France last year, I expected more from him in 2025. He came close a few times to winning but ended the season without a win. I wish him the best for next year and hope that his team situation works out and he returns to his normal level.”

Finally, Julich named UAE Team Emirates - XRG the Best Team of the season. “With a record setting 95 wins in a single season by so many different riders, picking UAE Team Emirates was an easy choice. The amount of young talent and ambition in this team is staggering.,” he wrote.

He credited Lidl–Trek for its “smart use of additional funds” and praised Uno-X and Tudor. “Although both of these teams are currently at the Pro Team level, they punched above their weight all season long and are knocking on World Tour selection. This has been accomplished not only by results, but also by great organization and leadership. Truly a template of how to start a successful team and develop both the organization and riders correctly.”

However, Julich expressed concern for Cofidis, which has been relegated to the ProTour level after three disappointing seasons. “Despite a strong start to the season, the wheels seemed to fall off for one of the longest running French teams. There has been a management change, and they seem to be on the brink of relegation from the World Tour. As a founding member of the 1997 Cofidis team, I personally hope they can regain some momentum and stay in the professional peloton at a high level.”

Concluding his review, Julich is really looking forward to the upcoming 2026 season, which promises to be as exciting as ever. “The 2025 racing season has only just wrapped up, and I am already counting down the days until next year. With the 2026 Tour de France race route now revealed, I hope the riders enjoy a well-deserved break before getting back to training,” he concluded.