Tadej Pogačar has won the 2025 Tour de France, securing his fourth career victory and solidifying his place among cycling’s all-time greats. The 26-year-old Slovenian rider crossed the finish line on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on July 27, completing the grueling three-week race in a total time of 76 hours and 32 seconds. With a commanding lead of 4 minutes and 24 seconds over defending champion Jonas Vingegaard, Pogačar’s dominance was never in serious doubt during the final stages of the race.
The final stage of this year’s Tour was anything but ceremonial. For the first time, the course featured three ascents of Montmartre, altering the traditional Parisian loop and adding a final challenge to an already punishing race. Rainfall throughout the day made the roads slick and treacherous, prompting race officials to neutralize the general classification times with about 50 kilometers remaining to ensure rider safety. That decision effectively locked in Pogačar’s victory, even as he launched a bold attack on the Montmartre climb, nearly claiming the stage win himself. The honors for the final day went to Belgian rider Wout van Aert, who executed a spectacular solo breakaway on the last hill and held on to take the stage.
Pogačar’s performance over the three weeks of racing was as commanding as it was strategic. He first took control of the race in the Pyrenees, delivering a crushing performance on Stage 12 to Hautacam, where he dropped all challengers, including Vingegaard. The following day, he extended his lead during a mountain time trial at Peyragudes, leaving no doubt as to who the strongest rider in the peloton was. He ended the Tour with four stage wins, the polka-dot jersey as the King of the Mountains, and his 21st career Tour de France stage victory.
This year’s Tour also saw the emergence of new talent, most notably 24-year-old German rider Florian Lipowitz, who finished third overall and earned the white jersey as best young rider. Italian sprinter Jonathan Milan took the green points jersey, while 22-year-old Scottish rider Oscar Onley impressed with a fourth-place finish and showed signs of becoming a future Grand Tour contender.
Speaking after his victory, Pogačar was emotional but composed. “Just speechless to win the Tour de France; this one feels especially amazing,” he said. “This was one of the hardest Tours I’ve ever been in.” Praise came from all corners, including Tour director Christian Prudhomme, who lauded Pogačar’s consistent excellence and aggressive yet calculated riding style. Analysts and former champions have begun to place him in the same league as legends like Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Induráin.
With four Tour de France titles now to his name—2020, 2021, 2024, and 2025—along with a 2024 Giro d’Italia win and a world road race championship, Pogačar has reached the rarefied air of cycling’s most decorated champions. At just 26, he shows no signs of slowing down. His 2025 victory was not just another triumph—it was a masterclass in endurance, strategy, and flair, delivered by a rider who has already rewritten the sport’s record books and seems poised to do it again.
