From Grand Tour dynasties to breakout brilliance, the 2025 men’s season delivered fireworks at every level. We witnessed history at the Tour de France, the emergence of new GC superstars, and sprinting and Classics campaigns that will be talked about for years to come.
Nine names stood above the rest — now it’s your turn to decide who truly defined the 2025 campaign. Look below at the contenders, then vote in the CyclingUpToDate End of Year Awards.
Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates – XRG): 20 wins
There are dominant seasons… and then there was Pogacar in 2025. A fourth Tour de France title — taken with clinical control rather than raw aggression — would already have guaranteed him a place on this shortlist. But that was merely the anchor to a campaign that stretched across every meaningful target on the calendar.
He retained the world road race title in Kigali with one of the most audacious solo attacks ever seen at a Worlds — over an hour spent alone off the front, turning rainbow pressure into inevitability. Then, a week later, he pulled on the European champion’s jersey, dispatching the continent’s best with frightening composure.
Add three Monuments — Flanders, Liege, Lombardia — and stage-race success woven throughout, and you have a rider who didn’t just win, he occupied the sport. Across terrains, climates and race types, Pogacar built a season that felt historic from March onward.
Very few riders ever have a “greatest season by anyone in a decade” contender. Pogacar just had another.
Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma | Lease a Bike): 6 wins
Vingegaard’s 2025 was a testament to method, resilience and razor-edge Grand Tour mastery. The Dane arrived at the Tour leaner, more aggressive and determined to reclaim yellow — and though he would ultimately settle for second, he pushed Pogacar deeper than anyone in recent years.
Where he did finish the job was Spain. The Vuelta a Espana saw Vingegaard in control, suffocating rivals across summit finishes, winning time where he chose to rather than where he needed to. It was a reminder that while Pogacar may be cycling’s heartbeat, Vingegaard remains its most clinical surgeon.
He didn’t dethrone the king — but he proved the crown is still contested territory.
Remco Evenepoel (Soudal – Quick-Step): 8 wins
The Belgian produced another year of breathtaking wattage and ambition. He took a Tour de France stage win. He again excelled against the clock, all whilst sharpening his GC craft while retaining his defining superpower: chronoman supremacy.
He closed the year winning both the World and European time trial titles, stamping authority on the most pure test of power cycling possesses.
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Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck): 6 wins
While others chased volume in 2025, Van der Poel continued to operate with trademark precision. His spring was again built around the cobbles, where he remained a constant reference point — shaping key moments, forcing selections, and riding with the authority that comes from years at the very top.
He balanced that with another proactive Tour de France, working for team-mates when needed and still finding chances to animate stages in his own right. Even without the headline haul of his biggest seasons, he remained influential in major one-day racing and competitive at the Tour, reaffirming his position as one of the sport’s most consistently decisive riders.
A year built on selective targets, high-quality performances and sustained relevance at the sharp end of the biggest days.
Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates – XRG): 10 wins
Almeida delivered one of the most consistently high-level seasons in the peloton, building podiums and major GC results across the calendar. He was reliable in stage races from early spring through late summer, climbing with precision and limiting losses in key time trials.
Crucially, he continued to solidify his position as a genuine co-leader within UAE’s Grand Tour structure. When the racing became attritional, he remained composed; when rival contenders faltered, he carried his form deep into the final weeks. It wasn’t a year of dramatic solo raids or high-profile statements, but rather one defined by discipline, steadiness and repeat contention at the sharp end.
A campaign that underlined his maturation from rising prospect to established GC pillar.
Tom Pidcock (Q36.5): 5 wins
Pidcock’s 2025 season reflected a rider broadening his capabilities rather than chasing headlines. He showed greater resilience across stage races, spent more time competing for GC positions, and won from selective groups multiple times against strong fields.
His racing style remained proactive and technically assured, with strong descending and punchy finishing still core strengths, but the key evolution was consistency — the ability to remain competitive across longer stage-race blocks without fading. Balancing that development with his off-road programme, he managed his calendar effectively and continued to add range without sacrificing sharpness.
A year of progression, not spectacle — and one that keeps him firmly on an upward trajectory.
Simon Yates (Team Visma | Lease a Bike): 2 wins
Yates produced one of the standout individual achievements of the year by winning the Giro d’Italia, pacing his effort through the opening two weeks before delivering the decisive move on the Finestre.
He backed up that result at the Tour de France with a stage win, confirming he maintained form across the year rather than peaking solely for May.
Proof that, with the right plan and legs, his top level remains world-class.
Mads Pedersen (Lidl–Trek): 14 wins
Pedersen put together one of the most complete seasons of any rider in the peloton, winning points classifications at both the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana, supported by multiple stage victories and strong showings in the Classics. Few riders combined peak sprint speed with such durability on hilly and transitional terrain.
He consistently positioned himself for opportunities, handled chaotic finales with experience, and showed the endurance to contest results deep into Grand Tour third weeks. While others targeted narrower objectives, Pedersen built a broad body of work across the season and continually influenced major race outcomes.
A campaign defined by versatility, stamina and tactical clarity.
Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates – XRG): 18 wins
Del Toro built on his promising 2024 debut with a significantly more complete second WorldTour season. He won 18 races across a range of profiles, underlining his versatility from hilly one-day races to selective finishes in stage events.
At the Giro d’Italia, he took a mountain-top stage win, spent extensive time in the leader’s jersey, and finished second overall, also securing the best young rider classification. Importantly, he maintained steady form across the year rather than peaking for one block, and coped well with team leadership responsibilities in his first Grand Tour as a protected rider from the start.
A year that confirmed he has the engine and race habits to compete regularly at WorldTour GC level.
Now it’s your turn:
Vote below for the Men’s Rider of the Year 2025!
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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- 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
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- 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
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- 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
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