Tadej Pogačar’s career trajectory is considered Merckxian and unprecedented in the modern era of the sport, and it is expected to become even more historic in the years to come.
In 2026 and 2027, Pogačar could win a fifth and sixth Tour de France, a third and fourth consecutive world title and more and more Classics of all kinds.
He is the favourite for Sunday’s UEC European Championships in France after defending his world title in Rwanda.
He has added next Tuesday’s Tre Valli Varesine to his end-of-season schedule and the hilly race will surely become an extra objective before he targets a fifth consecutive Il Lombardia on Saturday, October 11.
Pogačar has proved time and time again that he is a generational talent and the next two seasons could confirm him as one of the true greats of the sport, alongside Eddy Merckx, Fausto Coppi and Bernard Hinault.
Yet according to his agent Alex Carera, Pogačar is no Cannibal, nor an aggressive Badger. He is not that interested in becoming a modern-day Campionissimo. His career is not about numbers and records but about enjoying what he does. The Slovenian’s ambitions reflect his character and his simple love for cycling.
"Tadej wants to win all the biggest races at least once, that’s more important than winning a sixth Tour de France, " Carera tells Cyclingnews, when asked to decipher and explain what drives Pogačar.
"I’ve never worked with anyone like Tadej. He’s got the talent, he’s got the legs and he’s the mentality. It’s a very rare combination of greatness. I don't expect to ever meet anyone like him – he’s special."
A 2025 to remember
Pogačar has been a professional since 2019 and has already won 105 races.
He will end the season having raced 11 one-day Classics and championships and so far has won five of them, including Strade Bianche, the Tour of Flanders, La Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
He was third at Milan-San Remo after attacking on the Cipressa and the Poggio and second to Mathieu van der Poel on his debut at Paris-Roubaix. He gifted the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal to teammate Brandon McNulty and could still win three times in the next seven days.
Pogačar’s 2025 season will unofficially end on Sunday October 12 at his S klanca v klanc fan ride near his home town of Komenda in Slovenia.
He will end his season with a total of 50 days of racing and stage victories at the Tour de France, the UAE Tour and the Critérium du Dauphiné.
Pogačar won a second consecutive world title in Rwanda, going on the attack with 104km to race and then attacking alone with 66km to go. That was even better than in Zurich in 2024 when he pulled off a 101km move and a 52km solo attack.
After winning the rainbow jersey in Zurich, Pogačar went on to win eighteen races as world champion. According to Sporza, only Tom Boonen won more times during his year as world champion. Now Pogačar is set to extend his rainbow victory run into 2026.
A victory at Il Lombardia would mean he ends 2025 with victories at the Tour de France, the world championships and three monuments. Only Merckx did that, back in 1971.
But for Pogačar, it's more about how he wins rather than how much he wins.
"That’s his own personal challenge. Winning different races and enjoying doing it is more important to him than winning a fifth or sixth Tour de France, " Carera explains to Cyclingnews.
"That’s why he’s riding the European Championships this week and why Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix are such big goals for him, even if he might struggle to win them.
"His secret is that he loves cycling so much. He loves to ride his bike, otherwise he wouldn't make all the sacrifices that he does and he wouldn’t accept being in the spotlight with all the exploration and responsibilities on his shoulders. "
"He wants to be remembered for what he does and the way he does it rather than simple records. "
"He’s never really satisfied and that’s a sign of the ‘campione’ that he is. It’s why he dashed to catch a plane home from Rwanda at 20.30 on Sunday night, rather than going out celebrating his second world title. He’s not obsessed with winning but when he sets himself a goal, he goes for it. "
The battles head in 2026, 2027 and 2028
Pogačar seems to be relishing a battle with Remco Evenepoel and especially Jonas Vingegaard in the European Championships. He has beaten them at the Tour de France and would surely love to beat them on a one-day race in France and then again at Il Lombardia.
In 2026 and 2027, Pogačar will still be at his peak and historic records could fall into place, even if they are more a desire of his UAE Team Emirates-XRG team and the sport rather than his personal ambitions.
Pogačar could win a record-equalling fifth Tour de France in 2026, a third consecutive world title in Montreal, a course similar to the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal he has won twice.
He could also complete his monument haul by taking more elusive wins at Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix and perhaps finally target the Vuelta a España. He will surely ride the 2026 European Championships at home in Slovenia too.
2027 offers a record-breaking sixth Tour victory and a shot at a fourth world title on the testing Sallanches course in the French Alps.
Only six men have won back-to-back world titles, and only Peter Sagan won three consecutive times, but the race calendar and race routes allow Pogačar to do even better.
Whatever he takes aim at and whatever he achieves, it will only confirm his status as one of the greatest riders of all time.
Pogačar will be almost 30 in 2028 when the Los Angeles Olympic Games give him a chance to win gold and perhaps the only thing probably missing from his palmares by then.
Los Angeles and 2028 could also mark the start of the end of Pogačar’s career.
"I'm not planning ahead too much. I still have a long contract. I don't think I'll stop right away, but I don't see myself continuing for too long either, " Pogačar told L’Equipe after winning the Tour de France, perhaps influenced by the fatigue of three weeks of intense racing.
"The Los Angeles Games (in 2028) are one of my goals, which takes me to three years from now, then I might start thinking about retirement, we'll see.
"I'm not too interested in my future. I try to enjoy the moment."
Carera has a simple message for anyone who thinks Pogačar could retire after 2028. His dynasty is likely to go on until the end of the decade.
"I don’t see any signs that he’s thinking about retirement or his life after his racing career. When I speak to him, we talk about his next race and next objectives, " Carera says.
"He’s got a contract until 2030 and intends to respect it. Tadej has won a lot, but he’s not done yet. There’s a lot more to come."
