Today is Tadej Pogacar's 26th birthday and he is in the midst of preparing for one of the few goals he has ahead of him in his already incredible career: the World Championships. He has the opportunity next week to win one of the few big events he hasn't yet in pro cycling; but it is possible to look back at the past 5 years and acknowledge some of the Slovenian's main victories.
1. His presentation in top ranks was a win in Cortals d'Encamp at the 2019 Vuelta a España ahead of Nairo Quintana and Primoz Roglic.
2. Warns Primoz Roglic on the ninth stage of the 2020 Tour de France by beating him on the sprint in Laruns.
3. Takes a surprise win over Roglic on the Planche des Belles Filles time-trial to secure his first Tour de France in 2020.
4. He amazes everyone by winning the sprint against Julian Alaphilippe and Alejandro Valverde in the 2021 Liège-Bastogne-Liège, thus winning his first Monument.
5. He wins his second Tour de France (2021) ahead of what will become his great rival, Jonas Vingegaard.
6. He wins his second Monument, Il Lombardia 2021, winning the final sprint over Fausto Masnada.
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7. Starts 2022 with authority by winning the Strade Bianche (his first) ahead of Alejandro Valverde.
8. Warns in Spring 2022: Fifth in Milano-Sanremo and fourth at the Tour of Flanders (his first cobbled monument).
9. Second in the 2022 Tour after Jumbo-Visma's beastly tactic: takes 3 stage wins.
10. Second victory at Il Lombardia, third Monument of his career in 2022.
11. Starts the year winning the Jaén Paraíso Interior 2023 with a tremendous exhibition.
12. Destroys Jonas Vingegaard in Paris-Nice 2023, taking three stage wins and the yellow jersey in the process.
13. Spring 2023 Merckx style: 4th Sanremo, 3rd at E3, 1st Tour of Flanders (fourth Monument), 1st Amstel, 1st Flèche and crash in Liège.
14. Arrives unprepared at the Tour de France 2023, can't beat Vingegaard, but finishes second and takes 2 stages.
15. Wins Il Lombardia again in 2023: fifth Monument.
16. He starts the year again with a sterrato sweep, winning his second Strade Bianche in 2024.
17. He gets his second Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2024: sixth Monument.
18. At the Santuario di Oropa he obtains his first stage victory in the Giro d'Italia.
19. He wins the Giro d'Italia 2024 alongside six stage wins.
20. Wins his third Tour de France and another 6 stages; becoming the first rider since Marco Pantani in 1998 to do the double.
21. Wins the Montréal GP 2024 with a scary exhibition before the World Championships in Zurich.
22. Reaches the 26th birthday with a total of 85 pro wins already.
23. In 2024, Pogacar has taken 12 Grand Tour stage wins. That is 28% of all stages in the two Grand Tours he raced.
24. With races such as the World Championships, Il Lombardia and others still remaining; Pogacar has won already 22 World Tour races this year. This is more than any other pro team.
25. Pogacar currently has 11.393 points in the UCI Rankings. This is more than double of his closest competitor Remco Evenepoel.
26. Pogacar is the pro rider with the highest salary in the peloton currently, estimated to be around €6 million per season, with a contract running until 2027 with UAE Team Emirates.
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