'Doubts I would be able to continue' - Pogacar reveals knee issues during Tour victory

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) has revealed that he had suffered from knee pains en route to his fourth Tour de France victory this July, admitting that there were doubts that he would be able to make it to Paris.

The World Champion claimed 4 stage wins in the opening 13 stages, including a dominant display to Hautacam on stage 12, which saw him regain the yellow jersey from Ben Healy, before winning the following day in the uphill time trial to Peyragudes, putting the GC battle almost to bed before the end of the second week. 

However, despite successfully defending his lead to Paris, there were visible signs of fatigue in the demeanour and body language of Pogačar, who is so often willing to put everyone else to the sword, yet the World Champion was more ‘conservative’ in the final week in the Alps compared to his usual standards.

During a live episode of the Tour 202 podcast, at his Pogi Challenge charity event on Sunday, Pogačar admitted that the knee problem occurred after stage 16, which finished atop Mont Ventoux.

"One day after Ventoux, I had problems with my knee, and there were doubts whether I would be able to continue at all. The weather was bad, it was very cold," said Pogačar on the Tour 202 podcast.

Pogačar expanded further on the difficulties that he faced with the physical toll of winning a fourth Tour de France, with these problems, "My body was in shock, I didn't feel my best. But a three-week race is not easy, every cyclist has problems. We are often tired after the first week, and then you have two more."

Despite the challenges, Pogačar recovered exceptionally well after the Tour to end his season in style and arguably in more dominant fashion than ever. The 27-year-old defended his World title, before becoming the European Champion, and rounded out his campaign with a win at Tre Valli Varesine, before becoming the first rider in history to win five successive editions of a monument by sealing Il Lombardia, all with bold long-range efforts.

With 20 victories secured in 2025, Pogačar has already added most of the biggest races to his palmares, though there are two in particular he wishes to hunt down, and it isn’t out of the realms of possibility he could become the first rider to win all five monuments in one season, considering he podiumed in all of them in 2025.

"I was close a few times at the Milan-San Remo race, but if I want to win, I have to be lucky. I rode Paris-Roubaix for the first time and finished second. I saw that I had the potential and that I could win, but it will be very difficult. The desire is great and that will drive me for a few more years," he said.

The World Champion admitted that the “Hell of the North” is his favourite race, only further fuelling his desire to win the race, after finishing 2nd to Mathieu van der Poel on his debut back in April.

His debut at Paris-Roubaix this year clearly left a strong impression. "Paris-Roubaix is the most beautiful race I have ever ridden, without all the climbs. Up until the corner where I fell, the average watts were the highest in the entire racing season," Pogačar recalled. "The atmosphere and the race are unforgettable."

When asked about criticisms that his dominance makes races predictable, Pogačar defended his aggressive racing style. "Long breakaways often work, but I fell at Strade Bianche, for example, and at Amstel Gold I tried from afar, but [Mattias] Skjelmose and [Remco] Evenepoel caught me. Some see this as an interesting race, while others think it's all over right away. I can't blame anyone or tell them to enjoy my racing."

Before preparing for the 2026 season, where he will look to continue to create records and further cement his legacy in the history books, Pogačar will spend some much-deserved time with his family and partner, fellow professional, Urška Žigart (AG Insurance-Soudal). "Those real vacations come quite late, only in November. I prefer to be at home, especially with my family, with Urška. These free days when we are together go by too quickly."