{"id":239470,"date":"2025-10-25T15:34:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-25T15:34:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/239470\/"},"modified":"2025-10-25T15:34:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-25T15:34:10","slug":"these-5-rising-stars-will-take-down-pogacar-eventually","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/239470\/","title":{"rendered":"These 5 Rising Stars Will Take Down Poga\u010dar (Eventually)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Updated October 25, 2025 07:41AM<\/p>\n

It\u2019s too early to talk about the post-Pogacar era, but a crop of fresh faces is suddenly emerging to scramble the hierarchy of elite men\u2019s racing.<\/p>\n

The Big 4 \u2014 Tadej Poga\u010dar<\/a>, Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel and Primo\u017e Rogli\u010d \u2014 will be looking over their shoulder going into 2026 and beyond.<\/p>\n

Isaac del Toro<\/a>, Florian Lipowitz, Juan Ayuso, Oscar Onley, and Giulio Pellizzari \u2014 the peloton\u2019s Rising 5 \u2014 are muscling into the action.<\/p>\n

This quintet of unbridled firepower packs the legs, ambition, and nerve to start challenging the existing pecking order<\/a> in the elite men\u2019s peloton.<\/p>\n

Each one carved out something significant in 2025, with grand-tour podiums, one-day triumphs, and fearless racing that produced the first major tremors to rattle the foundation of the elite men\u2019s peloton since the start of the Poga\u010dar era.<\/p>\n

And just like Pog and Vingo did at the start of this decade, these young guns are not waiting for their turn.<\/p>\n

The first real tremors
\n\"DelDel Toro dared to mark Poga\u010dar in Rwanda. (Photo: Dario Belingheri\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Cycling is an odd sport. A bigger winner will seem invincible until they\u2019re suddenly not. That can happen in one fell swoop or across several seasons, but when the levee wall breaks, it can be sudden and abrupt.<\/p>\n

Ever since the super team era and the rise of the Big 4, Poga\u010dar and Vingegaard have set the tone. Their Tour de France hegemony remains unbroken since 2020, with the pair splitting the last six yellow jerseys between them.<\/p>\n

The stage is set for a wild 2026 season, however, with the \u201cold guard\u201d of late-20-somethings having to fend off the Class of 2023.<\/p>\n

None of these five is yet a finished product, but each has shown flashes of brilliant disruption.<\/p>\n

Except for Onley \u2014 who races on the scrappy Picnic-PostNL squad \u2014 all of the rising challengers race inside one of modern cycling\u2019s super teams.<\/p>\n

Ayuso pried his way out of UAE Emirates-XRG in one of the season\u2019s ugliest divorces, claiming he\u2019d never see GC leadership behind King Pog. Yet Del Toro is thriving in his proximity to the king.<\/p>\n

Evenepoel and Rogli\u010d now face what\u2019s going to be a very crowded Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe bus, with both Lipowitz and Pellizzari demanding their own space.<\/p>\n

Can one of these emerge as the rider capable of taking down Poga\u010dar, or will it be someone else no one is really talking about?<\/p>\n

The Poga\u010dar era is far from over. In fact, it\u2019s only now reaching its full splendor. But for the first time, we\u2019re seeing young, ambitious riders starting to shake the palace gates.<\/p>\n

Isaac del Toro: Mexican meteorite
\n\"DelDel Toro lit up the back half of 2025. (Photo: Antonio Baixauli\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

No young rider electrified 2025 like Mexican sensation Del Toro.<\/p>\n

\u201cEl Torito\u201d eased into his second WorldTour season but nearly stunned everyone to nearly winning the Giro in May. At just 21, Del Toro races with that rare combination of youthful exuberance and unbridled raw talent.<\/p>\n

His late-Giro collapse might have destroyed others, but Del Toro revealed that necessary determination to keep pushing forward no matter what. He delivered the best back half of the season for 2025, racking up 12 victories and going deep into the Rwanda worlds with Poga\u010dar.<\/p>\n

Of all the young guns in the peloton, the \u201cLittle Bull\u201d looks like the rider most likely to truly disrupt the balance of power.<\/p>\n

Why he\u2019s so good: Del Toro is the most versatile among the rising talent. His punch and acceleration are very much in the line of Poga\u010dar, and he\u2019s able to ride away from a reduced bunch or out-kick a group of elite climbers. His climbing is already world-class and improving TT rounds out his growing arsenal.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next in 2026: Plans are not confirmed, but it\u2019s possible Del Toro could ride the Tour alongside Poga\u010dar. The team also has one eye on the future and wants to have Del Toro next in line to take over when Pog finally pulls the rip chord. The other option is to lead at the Giro or Vuelta to knock off a grand tour. TBD.<\/p>\n

Limitations: He\u2019s still a bit unproven in the longer distances, especially in the one-day monument-distance races. Experience is also a factor that cost him pink at the Giro. The Tour will be another challenge for the rider from Mexico\u2019s Baja California, but all good things come with time. UAE is famous for going slow with its \u00fcber-young talents.<\/p>\n

Pogi threat (scale of 1 to 5): 3.5 \u2014 No one can beat Pog right now, and with Vingegaard established as threat No. 1, Del Toro is showing the courage to at least try.<\/p>\n

Juan Ayuso: Spanish ambition
\n\"Ayuso\"Ayuso hopes a restart at Lidl-Trek will set him on a higher path. (Photo: JOSEP LAGO\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Ayuso is already one of cycling\u2019s most polarizing and popular riders, and he\u2019s not even won a grand tour yet.<\/p>\n

Hailed as Spain\u2019s next big thing, Ayuso\u2019s had his fair share of mini-controversies that seem to regularly blow up in the media. His racing chops keep improving, and there\u2019s no denying his self-confidence.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s more Evenepoel than Vingegaard when it comes to temperaments. Ayuso wants and expects to win, and when he doesn\u2019t, things can get weird.<\/p>\n

Ayuso\u2019s move to Lidl-Trek could be as liberating for him as Tom Pidcock\u2019s transfer to Q36.5 Pro Cycling was for the British dynamo.<\/p>\n

The 23-year-old now has an open road to lead at any race he wants. Now it\u2019s up to him to deliver the wins.<\/p>\n

Why he\u2019s so good: Ayuso seems to pack all the skills required to win a grand tour. Already an accomplished time trialist and solid climber, Ayuso is a proven winner with 16 wins across time trials, one-day races, grand tour stages, and GC races like Itzulia Basque Country and Tirreno-Adriatico.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next in 2026: As much as Ayuso likes to think he\u2019s world-class, he\u2019s yet to prove it in a major grand tour since his spectacular third-place debut at the 2022 Vuelta. Something always seems to happen. Ayuso needs to have a trouble-free season in 2026 and hit a grand tour podium or better to reconfirm his status as Spain\u2019s best GC rider since Alberto Contador.<\/p>\n

Limitations: Inconsistency and a reputation of being \u201cdifficult\u201d have haunted him so far in his young career. He\u2019s shown flashes of brilliance mixed in with some controversial flops that have led some to question his potential. His high-profile move to Lidl-Trek gives him a chance to hit the restart button. Expect the goals to be sky high.<\/p>\n

Pogi threat: 2.0 \u2014 Now that he\u2019s on rival Lidl-Trek, Poga\u010dar will likely go out of his way to knock down any aggression from Ayuso \u2014 or any other whipper-snapper for that matter \u2014 just to show he\u2019s still the alpha.<\/p>\n

Florian Lipowitz: German class
\n\"Lipowitz\"Lipowitz was the GC sensation of 2025.\u00a0 (Photo: Tim de Waele\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

The oldest of this \u201cGen Next\u201d group, at 25, he\u2019s following the more traditional trajectory to the top that used to see riders hitting their peak in the mid-to-late 20s.<\/p>\n

The German came to bike racing relatively late after rotating out of biathlon, so he\u2019s unlike many of today\u2019s over-performing teenage sensations. Yet his brute, diesel-like consistency delivered a stunning Tour podium, Germany\u2019s first in 20 years.<\/p>\n

Why he\u2019s so good: Raw talent mixed with Red Bull\u2019s quickly improving coaching staff saw Lipowitz emerge as one of the most consistent riders in the bunch. He packs an explosive finish with old-school German diesel traits that make him ideal for stage racing.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next in 2026: Evenepoel\u2019s arrival will complicate things inside the budding super team. The Belgian will electrify the lineup, but it will marginalize Rogli\u010d and could pinch out Lipowitz. Final calendars are not yet finalized, but Lipowitz could be sent to the Giro to race to win to give Evenepoel a free run at yellow. After three big podiums in 2025 \u2014 second at Paris-Nice and third at the Dauphin\u00e9 and Tour \u2014 a big win in 2026 will confirm his rising status.<\/p>\n

Limitations: At first glance, his build looks a little too heavy to match the watts-meter against the likes of Poga\u010dar and Vingegaard in the Tour\u2019s highest mountains. The crowded house at Red Bull will see him riding in the shadow of Evenepoel. Off-contract in 2026, Lipowitz could become cycling\u2019s hottest property if he has another big year.<\/p>\n

Pogi threat: 3.0 \u2014 Most of the Rising 5 are more direct threats to everyone except Poga\u010dar. Riders like Vingegaard and Evenepoel will be looking over their shoulder long before Poga\u010dar ever will, but Lipowitz is the most complete among the young guns.<\/p>\n

Oscar Onley: British pedigree
\n\"OnleyOnley was the surprise packet of 2025, hitting the best UK result since Thomas was third in 2022. (Photo: LOIC VENANCE\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

No one more surprised in 2025 than Onley, and it\u2019s just like this type of bolt out of the blue sensation that can rewrite everything.<\/p>\n

Not many saw Poga\u010dar as a Tour winner at the start of the 2020 Tour, and Onley\u2019s ride this summer conjured up visions that someday some up-and-comer will stun everyone.<\/p>\n

Onley, 23, now has the sometimes unwieldy pressure to confirm it all over again.<\/p>\n

Why he\u2019s so good: Of all the breakout riders in 2025, Onley was perhaps the most under the radar. He didn\u2019t arrive at the WorldTour with the same hype as a Del Toro or Ayuso. With only two wins on his palmar\u00e8s, he\u2019s perhaps the most understated. A stage win and a solid TT led to third at the Tour de Suisse before his breakout fourth at the Tour revealed something is burning much deeper under the calm exterior.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next in 2026:\u00a0Onley quite literally came out of the woodwork to ride into the top 5 at the Tour. One downside of such a big ride is that it comes packed with pressure to follow it up. Picnic would be wise to send him to the Giro and\/or Vuelta to let him make a targeted run at victory and return to the Tour in 2027.<\/p>\n

Limitations: Experience and riding on the relatively thin Picnic PostNL \u2014 at least when compared to the UAE-Visma super rosters \u2014 Onley isn\u2019t going to be riding anyone off his wheel just yet.<\/p>\n

Pogi threat: 1.5 \u2014 It\u2019s unlikely that Poga\u010dar is losing any sleep over Onley.<\/p>\n

Giulio Pellizzari: Italian prince
\n\"GiulioPellizzari is Italy\u2019s next big hope.\u00a0(Photo: Tim de Waele\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Like Del Toro, this Italian gem is only 21. Two sixth places in double grand tours in 2025 \u2014 sixth in the Giro and Vuelta, respectively \u2014 reveal his depth and durability.<\/p>\n

Pellizzari seems the rawest and most underdeveloped among today\u2019s latest wave of peloton disruptors, and he over-delivered in his first season in the WorldTour ranks.<\/p>\n

If he continues on that upward trend, the Italian tifosi will finally have someone to cheer for again each July.<\/p>\n

Why he\u2019s so good: Mix Italian grinta with a killer instinct, and it looks like Italy has its first big GC candidate since the days of Vincenzo Nibali. Pellizzari was second to Del Toro in the 2023 Tour de l\u2019Avenir and confirmed his racing chops with standout rides at both the Giro and Vuelta this year.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next in 2026: Red Bull has a very crowded bus for 2026, with half of the Big 4 and two more of the Rising 5 all trying to share one calendar. There will be a touch less pressure on Pellizzari than on Lipowitz, so he could be sent to the Tour to help Evenepoel and be allowed to get a taste of the July\u2019s big dance without much pressure.<\/p>\n

Limitations: Depth and experience are things that come with age, something he learned when he cracked on the summit finale at Bola del Mundo to cede the white jersey and the top 5 to American Matthew Riccitello. He will need to improve in time trials if he hopes to win a grand tour someday.<\/p>\n

Pogi threat: 1.0 \u2014 If the Italian has another big ride like he did when he was second to Pogi in the Dolomites in the 2024 Giro, the Slovenian likely won\u2019t be gifting his sunglasses to him this time.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Updated October 25, 2025 07:41AM It\u2019s too early to talk about the post-Pogacar era, but a crop of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":239471,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[445],"tags":[49,48,635,54263,82,62576,112865,73156,88388,62849,54267],"class_list":{"0":"post-239470","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-cycling","11":"tag-parent_category-road","12":"tag-sports","13":"tag-tag-evergreen","14":"tag-tag-florian-lipowitz","15":"tag-tag-giulio-pellizzari","16":"tag-tag-isaac-del-toro","17":"tag-tag-juan-ayuso","18":"tag-type-article"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239470","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=239470"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239470\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/239471"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=239470"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=239470"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=239470"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}