When Tadej Pogacar lines up at a race, expectations are sky-high. Yet somehow, time after time, he manages to exceed them — and Liège–Bastogne–Liège 2025 was no exception.
A single, devastating acceleration on the Côte de la Redoute shattered the field and left his competitors grasping for answers, struggling not just to match him but even to glimpse him again.
Now, thanks to data revealed on Strava, we have a clearer and almost unbelievable picture of just how transcendent Pogacar’s performance truly was — to the point that even the very best version of Remco Evenepoel, himself a former Liège winner and a generational climbing talent, would have likely stood no chance.
A Moment of Ruthless Brilliance: Côte de la Redoute
Cycling fans and experts alike knew that the Côte de la Redoute would be a critical battleground.
The iconic, steep climb in the Ardennes is where many a Liège dream has been made — and shattered.
But nobody could have predicted just how brutal Pogacar’s attack would be.
With a sharp twitch of his elbows, a downshift, and a burst of pure, effortless fury, Pogacar launched his decisive move, and from that moment, the race was essentially over.
No Evenepoel. No Tom Pidcock. No Primož Roglič.
No one could even pretend to match the ferocity of his acceleration.
By the top of La Redoute, Pogacar already had over 20 seconds on a chasing group that included some of the world’s strongest climbers.
From there, he didn’t just maintain his lead — he stretched it mercilessly all the way to the finish line in Liège.
Mind-Bending Numbers from Strava
While our eyes told us Pogacar’s attack was superhuman, Strava confirmed it with hard numbers.
Here’s a snapshot of the data:
- Côte de la Redoute segment time: 5 minutes, 21 seconds
- Average power output during the climb: 620 watts
- Normalized power for the entire race: 398 watts over almost 6 hours
- Peak 5-minute power: Over 600 watts (an elite, almost absurd figure)
- VAM (Vertical Ascent Meter) on La Redoute: 2300 meters/hour
To put that in context: sustaining over 600 watts for five minutes after hours of racing is something virtually no rider in history has been able to achieve — except now, Pogacar.
The VAM figure alone — 2300 m/h — places Pogacar’s performance into rarefied air, comparable only to the very best Grand Tour summit finishes in history, and yet he unleashed it in the middle of a grueling one-day Monument.
Even the most optimistic calculations suggest that Evenepoel, at his absolute peak form, could have perhaps held 570–580 watts for a similar duration.
At the elite level, 20–30 watts is a canyon, not a crack.
There would have been no tactical counter, no wheel to follow. Only surrender.
Why Even the Best Evenepoel Was Doomed
Remco Evenepoel, young, brash, and wildly talented, has built his career on blistering solo moves and long-range attacks.
His 2022 Liège-Bastogne-Liège victory, in fact, came from a long solo after an explosive attack on the Côte de la Redoute.
But even comparing Remco’s winning numbers from that year, it’s clear he was simply operating in a different universe compared to what Pogacar produced now.
When Evenepoel won in 2022:
- His La Redoute effort was estimated around 580 watts for 5 minutes.
- His VAM for that climb was around 2100 m/h.
Against the new monster performance from Pogacar — 620 watts and 2300 m/h — Evenepoel’s best would have been insufficient to even limit the damage, let alone launch a counterattack.
As analyst Robbie McEwen put it post-race:
“You could have cloned prime Remco, prime Roglič, and prime Valverde, and Pogacar still would have ridden them off his wheel.”
A New Era of Domination?
The terrifying thing is this: Pogacar didn’t even look strained.
There were no grimaces, no desperate glances back — only metronomic, relentless tempo-setting at impossible speeds.
His rivals’ reactions afterward said it all.
Evenepoel admitted:
“You always believe you have a chance until he decides you don’t.”
Tom Pidcock was even more blunt:
“It was demoralizing. He’s on another planet right now.”
The question no longer seems to be “Can anyone beat Pogacar?” — but rather “By how much will Pogacar win?”
The Myth and the Man
Pogacar’s performance continues to redraw the boundaries of what is humanly possible on a bicycle.
Every era of cycling has its dominant figure: Merckx, Hinault, Indurain, Armstrong (with asterisk), and now, unmistakably, Tadej Pogacar.
What sets him apart isn’t just raw numbers — though those are staggering enough — but the ease and style with which he achieves them.
No labored suffering. No tactical over-cautiousness.
Only an intoxicating mix of joy, daring, and ruthless brilliance.
As former World Champion and pundit Philippe Gilbert said:
“Pogacar is cycling’s Mozart — a natural genius who plays on a level the others can barely hear.”
The Road Ahead: Who Can Stop Him?
With Tour de France preparations ramping up, Pogacar’s form has sent alarm bells ringing across the peloton.
If he can produce 6-hour normalized powers near 400 watts in a one-day Monument, what damage might he inflict on a mountainous Tour stage?
Teams are already scheming:
- Jumbo-Visma (now Visma–Lease a Bike) will double down on team tactics to isolate him.
- UAE Team Emirates will seek to protect him even more fiercely.
- Evenepoel himself will refocus training to close the small but critical gap.
But make no mistake: there is no easy solution to the Pogacar problem.
The only hope his rivals have lies in the cruel variables of cycling — bad luck, illness, injury, mechanicals — for on pure ability alone, no one seems capable of touching him right now.
A Monumental Monument Performance
Liège–Bastogne–Liège 2025 will be remembered not just for Pogacar’s win, but for the manner in which he won.
A single acceleration — a brutal, beautiful flash of power — that rendered the world’s finest helpless.
The data confirms what our eyes witnessed: a performance not just dominant, but historic.
Tadej Pogacar, once again, has redefined greatness.
And if this is a sign of what’s to come this summer, we are all simply witnesses to cycling’s next golden era.
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