Who is Slovenian Tour de France 2026 champion Tadej Pogacar, Bio, Titles, Records & More

- Factbox on Slovenian Tadej Pogacar, who won his fifth Tour de France title on Sunday, 26th July, 2026:

BIO

Born: Sept. 21, 1998

Age: 26

Grand Tour titles (6)

Tour de France (5): 2020, 2021, 2024, 2025, 2026

Giro d'Italia (1): 2024,

STATISTICS

* Tadej Pogacar is the FIFTH rider to win FIVE Tour de France titles after Bernard Hinault (5), Jacques Anquetil (5), Eddy Merckx (5) and Miguel Indurain (5)

* En route to his 2026 win, Pogacar set the All-time record for the fastest ascent of the Alpe d'Huez during Stage 19 on July 24, 2026, riding up in 35 minutes and 28 seconds - one minute 23 seconds faster than the previous best mark set by Marco Pantani's 1997 mark of 36 minutes and 55 seconds.

* Pogacar has won almost every major race in the sport, including the Tour of Flanders, Giro d'Italia, Milan-San Remo, Road World Championships, Giro di Lombardia and Liege-Bastogne-Liege.

Monument Classics title Wins

Giro di Lombardia: 5 wins

Liège–Bastogne–Liège: 4 wins

Tour of Flanders: 3 wins

Milan–San Remo: 1 win

World Championships: UCI Road Race World Championships: 2 titles

He now has 127 wins in an eight-year elite professional career.

* In 2025, Tadej Pogačar delivered another historic, dominant season, securing 20 victories across just 50 race days, including his fourth Tour de France title and three Monument Classics.

* In 2024, he became the first rider to achieve a Giro-Tour double since Pantani (1998)

* In 2024, Pogacar claimed the Giro, Tour and World Championship Road Race in the same season, an achievement shared only with Eddy Merckx in 1974 and Stephen Roche in 1987

* In 2020, Pogacar became the youngest rider to win the Tour de France since Henri Cornet in 1904, the second youngest ever.

EARLY CAREER

* Coached by former world road race bronze medallist and fellow Slovenian Andrej Hauptman

* In 2016, he took third place in the European championships' road race

* 2018 was Pogacar's breakthrough year. He won the Tour de l'Avenir, a stage race for young riders often seen as a springboard for the Tour de France. He also won the mountains classification in that race.

How much money does Tadej Pogačar make?

Tadej Pogačar earns an estimated base salary of €8 million per year with UAE Team Emirates, making him the highest-paid professional cyclist in the world. Its current contract with UAE Team ends in 2030.

Total Compensation: Can reach €12 million ($14 million) annually when factoring in lucrative performance bonuses and personal sponsorships (such as Colnago and DMT).

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