Amidst the 2025 Tour de France, when yellow jerseys race down mountain routes and the peloton cuts through ancient terrain, a particularly resonant voice from cycling’s glorious past resounds. The legendary Spanish cyclist Miguel Induráin, who has won the Tour de France five times, has set his sights on the future king of cycling, Tadej Pogačar.
Although Induráin thinks the Slovenian superstar is ready to win the world’s biggest cycling race again, it’s not just Pogačar’s domination that interests him. “He’s the big favorite, and things are looking perfect for him,” Induráin told reporters. “Pogačar is truly sensational. His explosiveness and ability to maintain a lead from February through October never cease to astound me.
Pogačar’s ability to win isn’t the only thing that surprises Induráin. He’s *consistent* in it. Being able to keep up top-tier form throughout the majority of the cycling season, year after year. Throughout the entire year, he keeps up his maximum speed and wins races. I am genuinely amazed by that,” Induráin went on to say. “And he’s only 26.”
A Year-Round Phenomenon
Cycling is a brutal sport, both physically and mentally. For most professionals, peaking for a Grand Tour—like the Giro d’Italia, the Tour de France, or the Vuelta a España—requires months of painstaking planning, precise training blocks, and planned racing. Riders usually design their season to peak at the ideal time, often sacrificing early-season success in favor of long-term aims.
But Tadej Pogačar is cut from a different cloth.
From the UAE Tour in February to the steep classics of April, the hot summer climbs of the Alps and Pyrenees, and the late-season monument races, Pogačar has developed a practice of *winning everything*. And not just by a hair, but by obliterating rivals with devastating attacks, audacious solo rides, and masterful tactical nous.
His win at Liège–Bastogne–Liège this spring came after a fearless breakaway that left his competitors gasping in disbelief. At the Giro, which he raced earlier this year as preparation for the Tour, he won with commanding authority, making him a rare breed of rider capable of conquering two Grand Tours in a single season.
“He Could Win More Than Five Tours”
Induráin understands what it takes to win the Tour de France—he achieved it five times in succession, an achievement unequalled until Lance Armstrong’s controversial and now-expunged seven victories. Induráin’s dominance came through power, control, and consistency, much like the qualities he sees in Pogačar.
“He could win more than five Tours de France, of course,” claimed the Navarrese racer. That’s no minor prediction. Only four men in history—Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Induráin himself—have ever won the Tour five times. For Induráin to suggest that Pogačar could *surpass* them all is a testament to the Slovenian’s extraordinary trajectory.
It’s also a striking statement amid the increased tension and competition in modern professional cycling. With a powerful new generation—featuring Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel, and Carlos Rodríguez—Pogačar doesn’t have an easy road ahead. But he has something unique: an incredible capacity to remain fresh, sharp, and *dangerous* throughout the year.
A Team to Match His Ambitions
“Pogačar is the best, and he has a great team,” Induráin pointed out. Indeed, UAE Team Emirates has built a Tour-winning machine around him, bringing strong climbers, time-trialists, and support riders to keep their star safe and at the front.
This year’s group contains Joao Almeida, who himself could be a GC leader on most other teams, big climbers like Marc Soler and Juan Ayuso, and excellent domestiques who can guide Pogačar through the turmoil of the flat stages and into perfect position for the mountain attacks he’s known for.
It’s this team dynamic—combined with Pogačar’s raw talent—that makes Induráin’s forecast all the more convincing. “He has everything in his favor,” Induráin said. “His talent, his age, his versatility, and the support around him.”
A New Era of Dominance?
Pogačar’s career began with a bang, winning the Tour de France in 2020 in dramatic fashion and then repeating the feat in 2021. His 2022 and 2023 aspirations were blocked by Jonas Vingegaard, another extraordinary prospect, generating one of the greatest rivalries in cycling history. But instead of falling, Pogačar evolved. He learnt from failure, refined his techniques, and evolved as a rider.
In 2024, he returned with renewed fire, winning both the Giro d’Italia and Tour de Suisse, and now, as he rides in yellow through the heart of France in 2025, he looks more complete than ever.
Induráin sees in him not only a superb rider but a once-in-a-generation phenomenon. “He’s explosive, smart, and fearless. That’s what makes the difference.”
February to October: A Near-Impossibly Long Peak
What sets Pogačar apart—what truly *astonishes* Induráin—is not a single race victory or even a string of Grand Tour triumphs. It’s the *relentless consistency* over the seasons.
In modern professional cycling, no one is expected to dominate from the early-season stage races to the last WorldTour events in the autumn. Peaks and troughs are predicted. Burnout is inevitable.
But Pogačar violates these restrictions. His performance graph is a flat line—at the absolute top.
“Very few athletes can maintain that level without faltering,” Induráin observed. “The stress, the pressure, the physical toll—it’s immense. And still he continues winning. That’s what surprises me the most.”
A Word of Caution… and Admiration
Though Induráin is generous with praise, he also recognises the hardships that come with grandeur. “It’s not just about winning,” he remarked. “It’s about staying healthy, motivated, and surrounded by the right people. If he can continue as he is, the sky is the limit.”
Indeed, the challenge for Pogačar may not lie in his rivals’ attacks or the gradients of the Galibier but in the toll of expectation. But for now, as the 2025 Tour de France proceeds, Induráin feels we’re watching something momentous.
“Tadej is only 26. If he keeps this up, we may be watching the greatest ever.”
Social Media Buzz: Fans and Pros Agree
Cycling enthusiasts around the world echoed Induráin’s feelings as the comment made ripples across social media. On X (previously Twitter), #Pogacar and #TourdeFrance2025 began trending as users hailed the Slovenian’s skill.
“Induráin knows a champion when he sees one. If he’s this amazed, you know it’s real,” wrote one user.
“From February to October—he’s not human!” uploaded another, alongside a highlight reel of Pogačar’s biggest hits.
Even former pros chimed in. “I raced against both Froome and Contador,” tweeted a retired domestique. “What is Pogačar doing? It’s something else.”
The Final Verdict
As the Tour de France enters its last week, the yellow jersey on Pogačar’s back looks increasingly certain. But the true story, as Miguel Induráin so eloquently states, is not just *if* Pogačar will win—it’s *how* he continues to dominate a sport so mercilessly, for such a sustained period, and with such grace.
In a sport shaped by legends, Tadej Pogačar is writing his chapter—one that even the greats are stopping to admire. And if Induráin’s statements are any indicator, we may only be witnessing the beginning.
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