When a large breakaway arrived under Mont Ventoux with 6 minutes of advantage, it seemed clear that the men in leading group would battle it out for the prestigious stage win. But numbers 1 & 2 in the GC; Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard had other plans and nearly caught the leaders with what will go down as one of the most superhuman climbing displays in history.
According to data expert Karlis Ozols who dived into the data files for La Flamme Rouge, we have witnessed a performance that breaks imaginable and sets a new standard of what is possible to achieve on two wheels.
Jonas Vingegaard did Ventoux in 54 minutes and 32 seconds, averaging an estimate of 6.52 W/Kg. Tadej Pogacar, who spent much of the climb shielded from the wind in the wheel of Vingegaard, was two seconds faster, but his estimated power is thus slightly lower at 6.44 W/Kg. Ozols goes as far as to claim this might've been the best long climbing performance ever.
The long-standing record of Iban Mayo, who rode up the windy mountain in a time of 55:51 during an individual timetrial at the 2004 Critérium du Dauphiné, was beaten by a few more men on Tuesday.
Primoz Roglic continues his upward trend set with a strong timetrial last Friday by crossing the line as a third of the GC men, pushing 6.35 W/Kg for 55 minutes and 38 seconds. His teammate Florian Lipowitz who arrived shortly afterwards would also beat the historical time of Mayo.
Already impressive, the performances gain an extra dimension when he take into an account that Mayo didn't have race for three hours before Mont Ventoux. Yes, it was relatively easy day for the GC men, but it was from a fresh effort.
Meanwhile the fastest road race effort was another decade older. Marco Pantani rode up Ventoux in 57 minutes and 33 seconds back in 1994, full three minutes slower than Pogacar and Vingegaard. In fact, such performance would hardly even allow Il Pirata to finish among 10 best riders today.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
claps 4visitors 4
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- 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
- The American performance at the World's road race was a masterclass in cycling tactics. If it wasn't McNulty, it might well have been Jorgensen or Simmons to take off and win in a solo break.Occam06-11-2026
- What a gimmick
Rafionain-Glas06-11-2026 - Thats only cause he rides for UAE. In any other team he would be captain in many races atleast. UAE is just to crazymiguel06-11-2026
- He seems to be the rare athlete whose passion and curiosity about life beyond his sport equals his extraordinary achievements in it. It would be great for him to risk less of that life. He seems very grateful and joyful for what he has already attained.
MarkFour06-11-2026 - As much as I admire and even revere Wout, the less I know about his backside the better.MidnightRider06-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment