'Why do I attack from so far out? Because that's how I win': Pogacar on his racing style

Tadej Pogačar has been elected L’Équipe’s ‘Champions of Champions’ for the first time after his remarkable 2025 season, joining a roll of honour that includes Michael Jordan, Usain Bolt, Lionel Messi, Serena Williams, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

“Honestly, I would not put myself on that list. I cannot place myself that high,” Pogačar told L’Équipe when asked if he felt he belonged in that company. “It was a very big season, but I do not feel that way. It is just my opinion.”

Pogačar became only the second cyclist after Greg LeMond in 1989 to win the award. “Cycling is very particular and not easy to follow or to practice. It is simpler to watch a tennis match than a race that lasts six hours,” he said. “In our races, 23 teams line up together. That is one reason cycling is not valued properly and maybe not seen as classy as the NBA, tennis or golf.

“Football is also simpler because everyone talks about it and everyone can explain it. Cycling is different. It is tactically complex and it does not have the same visibility. It is a very humble sport. We do not have Formula One style superstars who attend prestige events every week. Riders go to races, then they want to go home and train. There is not much time for anything else. That is why I think it is not a glamorous sport."

Even so, Pogačar’s popularity has continued to grow in recent years. “I am still on planet Earth,” he insisted. “

It is lovely to see children who love cycling, especially when they support me. I do not feel like a star. I am always struck when someone stops me in the street when I am in normal clothes or at a restaurant and asks for a photo with hands shaking. Sometimes they do not even listen when you reply and only want the picture. I am not a big star. If I travel in Asia people might not recognise me. In Barcelona, Brussels or in Italy it is different. It depends where I am.”

Novak Djokovic, last year’s Champion of Champions, has often spoken about wanting to mark the history of sport, but Pogačar does not view his career in the same way. 

“Novak wants to be the greatest ever. He never gives up and always wants to prove he is the best and that he can still be the best now,” Pogačar said. “I know that one day everything will stop and I will want a normal life. I do not need to show all the time that I am the best. Sometimes it is nice to race without feeling that you must win. The sports are different and so are the mindsets.”

Pogačar added that his own legacy does not preoccupy him unduly. “I do not particularly seek that,” he said. “If it happens, I accept it and then I move on.”

Joy remains central to Pogačar’s conception of his sport, and he insisted that his motivation remains intact even after all his successes. “I still see cycling as a game,” he said. “Everyone needs to do what they love. If you love something you should savour it. If you treat it like a game, I am sure it works better for you. It is different from ten years ago, but I still love this sport. It is part of my life, and I do not see myself doing anything else.

“There is always room to improve and to see how far I can go. It is not hard to motivate myself, even more so with a long contract until 2030 with UAE Emirates XRG and many years ahead. When results are good the motivation comes easily. It is harder when you do not win much or at all.”

Pogačar has always been an attacking rider, but he took that aggression to new extremes in 2025. In the final weeks of the season, he provided solo exhibitions at the World Championships, European Championships and Il Lombardia. 

“Why do I attack from so far out? Because that’s how I win,” Pogačar said. “If I wait for a sprint I am not sure I will win. I am lucky to sense the moment to go alone. Sometimes it works and I win, sometimes it does not and I lose.

“I think about whatever can make me win. I manage my energy. I check the gaps. I anticipate what is coming. It is not a stroll.”

And yet for all Pogačar’s current dominance, it’s easy to forget that he was an outsider when he lined up for his debut Tour de France in 2020. His late heist to divest Primoz Roglič of the yellow jersey at La Planche des Belles Filles was one of the biggest shocks in the race’s history. That result would set the tone for his career. 

“What if I had lost the 2020 Tour at La Planche des Belles Filles? Maybe things would be a bit different,” Pogačar said. “There might have been less pressure afterwards. It was great to win then because it gave a huge boost to my career. Without that victory my career would not have been the same.”