UAE Team Emirates

) turned professional in 2019 and has firmly established himself as the best all-round rider in the world. He has won the Tour de France twice and has claimed several major Classics, including the Tour of Flanders, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Il Lombardia (three times).

The Slovenian finished on the podium at his first Grand Tour during his debut season with third overall at the 2019 

 and a year later he pulled off a major shock when he won the 

Pogačar came back to successfully defend his Tour de France crown in 2021, winning a second yellow jersey in unstoppable fashion. The all-rounder also won the white and the King of the Mountains jerseys in both Tour triumphs. In 2021 Pogačar had to settle for second place overall in the Tour de France after 

 (Jumbo Visma) beat him into second place in Paris. 

Not just a Grand Tour rider, Pogačar has excelled as an excellent week-long stage racer and one-day specialist. He won 

 in 2021, 2022 and 2023, the Tour of Flanders in 2023, and 

 in 2021. Pogačar’s 2023 season revolved around the 

 for a fourth straight season and he started the campaign in scintillating fashion with wins in 

The Slovenian then enjoyed a stellar spring campaign that ended in disaster. Milano-Sanremo kicked things off with a fine fourth place, before third place in the E3 Saxo Classic reaffirmed his credentials in the cobbled Classics. His promise came to fruition a week later at the Tour of Flanders, where he dominated the opposition to win alone with a 17km solo effort. 

Wins at Amstel Gold Race and La Flèche Wallonne followed, before Pogačar crashed out of Liège-Bastogne-Liège and suffered a broken wrist, which would serve to hinder his Tour de France preparation. 

Vingegaard would win his second-straight Tour de France with Pogačar taking second once again. The Slovenian would still win two stages before finishing over seven minutes down on Vingegaard in Paris. 

During the last months of the 2023 season Pogačar finished third in the men's road race at the UCI Road World Championships in Glasgow, before taking his third straight title in Il Lombardia.

In 2024 Pogačar is set to race both the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France before turning his attention to the Olympic Games in Paris.

Tadej Pogacar

Tech

Pro Bikes

Tour de France pro bike: Tadej Pogačar’s highly-customised Colnago V4Rs

Pro bikes naturally vary per rider. It’s often a matter of different stem lengths, handlebar widths, pedals or saddles. But teams and riders are usually tied down by brand partnerships, so the differences between bikes on each team tend to be minimal.

That’s why one bike stood out above all else to 

. The Slovenian’s all-attacking style bucks many trends and his Tour de France bike is no different, earning it the title as one of the most customised pro bikes we’ve ever encountered.

In the hunt for any marginal weight or performance gain, 

’ mechanics have gone to town, completely customising the Colnago V4Rs that he’ll ride for most of the stages. Just how customised? Pogačar rode the same model last year and apart from the frame and the saddle, every part of the bike has changed since then.

Some of those changes are enforced by brand partnerships, such as the team’s shift to Shimano’s Dura-Ace groupset from Campagnolo Super Record. It’s not standard off-the-shelf Dura-Ace, instead specced with Carbon-Ti chainrings, a popular choice in the pro peloton. Despite the overall changes, Pogačar has stuck to familiar 54/40t chainrings and a 11-30t cassette, although this will change depending on the stage.

Every little detail matters and 3D-printed chainring covers improve aerodynamics and aesthetics because, well, you want to look good while winning. Carbon-Ti disc rotors are also swapped in for the stock Shimano Dura-Ace ones leading to a significant weight saving, with each disc tipping the scales at under 100g - that’s seriously lightweight.

There’s also a custom Darimo seatpost which is paired with Pogačar’s customised Prologo saddle, ENVE wheels and handlebars, plus more 3D-printed wizardry at the front of the bike in the form of a headset cap which we suspect lowers the stack height slightly to improve aerodynamics.

That’s just one of many changes that completely revamps Pogačar’s position on the bike - a reassuring reminder that even a two-time Tour de France champion tinkers with their setup.

 estimated, with some help from a tape measure, that the tip of Pogačar’s saddle is 2cm closer to the handlebars than last year, partly because it’s been moved as far forward on the seatpost rails as possible. That’s a huge difference presumably made in pursuit of aerodynamic gains or pedalling efficiency.

Adding to this, the Slovenian has gone from 172.5mm cranks to 170mm and, following modern trends, 36cm handlebars with the shifters angled inwards.

Check out the full breakdown of components below.

Are Super Strong Cyclists Killing Racing? | GCN Show Ep. 591

The 2024 Giro D'Italia Story So Far! | GCN Racing News Show

I Built A £17,000 Bike. WAS It REALLY Worth It?

Date	Event	Discipline	Classification
5/4/2024	Giro d'Italia	Road	2.UWT
6/29/2024	Tour de France	Road	2.UWT
8/3/2024	Olympic Games RR	Road	WCRR
9/13/2024	GP Québec	Road	1.UWT
9/15/2024	GP Montreal	Road	1.UWT

Tadej Pogacar

Race Program

Tadej Pogacar's Bikes

Tour de France pro bike: Tadej Pogačar’s highly-customised Colnago V4Rs

Subscribe to the GCN Newsletter