"Pogacar would have blown all of us - Pantani, Armstrong, and me - out of the water" - Jan Ullrich can't get over Tadej Pogacar's Tour de France domination
Cycling
Tadej Pogacar put in his best-ever performance at the Tour de France this summer, according to former Tour winner Jan Ullrich. The world champion made it five titles, joining four other riders in holding the record for the most general classification wins at La Grand Boucle.
Dominating the race, he held the yellow jersey from stage six right through to Paris and boasted a lead of over seven minutes in the final week over Remco Evenepoel in second place.
Ullrich looked back on the Tour as the ultimate signal of the UAE Team Emirates - XRG leader's capabilities. For the German legend, his full-throttle climbing is something that struck him while watching. Thinking back to his days of racing, he believes Pogacar would've put the best of that era to the sword just as emphatically.
"This tour was a superlative tour," Ullrich said on his podcast "Ulle & Rick".
"He really showed what he's capable of. That was his best performance in the Tour de France. He just starts riding and goes full throttle all the way to the top, and that's what Pogacar can do."
Pogacar would dominate Ullrich, Pantani and Armstrong
Aside from Pogacar's all-conquering five stage wins, Ullrich was on the edge of his seat as Mathieu van der Poel burned Pogacar off his wheel in the final stage to beat the sprinters by a whisker and take a second stage win of the race - the perfect ending in the Tour script.
"It couldn't have been more exciting. I was screaming on the couch. The script couldn't have been written better. This finale was a perfect fit for this superlative Tour de France."
Ullrich believes that Pogacar could push it further and put further distance between himself and his competitors. Noting that most legends are in agreement on his status as the best-ever, he thinks that a modern Pogacar would humble himself and commanding racers like Marco Pantani and Lance Armstrong.
"He could also win the Tour de France with a ten-minute lead over second place if he wanted to.
"The experts agree. Tadej Pogacar has changed cycling and is the best of all time. That's my opinion too. A modern-day Tadej Pogacar would have blown all of us - Pantani, Armstrong, and me - out of the water back then."
Tadej Pogacar dominated the 2026 Tour de France
Cycling's rapid development
Why is there such a big difference in Pogacar's dominance to the best of the past? Ullrich sees cycling's rapid development over the past decade as a big reason. From in-race nutrition, training focuses, cooling techniques and equipment, the German puts it simply: if he lived the lifestyle of the modern cyclist, he too would have been a stronger rider.
Ullrich admitted to doping throughout his career in 2023. A CAS ruling in 2012 saw all his victories from 2005 onward stripped, although his 1997 Tour de France win remained unaffected due to the statute of limitations.
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“I wonder why we didn’t think of wearing ice cubes in our jerseys to cool ourselves down earlier? Furthermore, I rode a third of my annual kilometers for no reason. I could have saved myself that.”
Ullrich said: "I'm sure I could have been much, much better today than back then. The version from back then, without doping, could definitely have been much, much better with today's technology."
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- Hmmm, you seem to have a very convenient black and white view of things. Perhaps you haven’t been around much to discover how complex problems can become over time with people who know how to control, manipulate (or worse) others so gradually or subtly that you arrive at an irresolvable situation before you realise. This is how many inconveniences get introduced to the young, naïve, passionate or “desperate”, knowing they are not armed, protected or strong enough to defend themselves once it’s too late. Why do you think omerta culture is so widespread, why do you think so many people continue to go through so many awful things in life that others can’t understand anyone getting into? Life may be far more jolly for you but you would do well to understand (or reflect more on) the real world to refrain from being so quick to criticise those in a hard spot that may have genuine reason for speaking out.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
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- I get the point totally. We live in the snowflake society where some riders forget they are getting paid to ride and get results. When they have a few issues they try to look outside of the real issue instead of themselves. It odd so many of the team are making no complaints and getting on with their job. If you do not like what you do find another job simples. Tough love as my mum would say.paultryan200207-11-2026
- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
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- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
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