Pogacar, Van der Poel, Pedersen – Best finishes from 2025
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Two-time Tour de France winner Alberto Contador said Tadej Pogacar is “redefining the sport” after another exceptional year for the UAE Team Emirates-XRG star.The Slovenian became the first rider to win both the Tour de France and UCI Road World Championship Road Race in two successive years (2024 and 2025) and has established himself as cycling’s dominant force.
He was also the first man since Eddy Merckx in 1975 to win three Monuments, the Tour de France and a world title in the same season.
“We’ve witnessed an incredible spectacle,” Contador said in an interview with Spanish outlet Marca.
“He [Pogacar] was clearly superior in the Tour. He’s an athlete who is redefining the sport.”
Pogacar, 27, sent out an ominous warning to his rivals after winning the UEC Road European Championships in October, claiming that he intends “to be a better version of myself” in 2026.
But Contador suggested two-time Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard remains genuine competition for Pogacar heading into the 2026 season.
“It’s difficult, but there’s Vingegaard. He knows what it’s like to win [the Tour] twice, he’s meticulous, cool, absolutely professional. If anyone can upset Tadej, it’s him.”
Vingegaard recovers from tumble to clinch Criterium Saitama victory
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Pogacar’s consistent brilliance has earned him comparisons with the legendary Merckx, professional cycling’s most successful rider with 525 race wins to his name across the 1960s and 70s.
But Contador claimed the eras are too different to truly compare.
“It’s a constant question… but it’s a mistake to approach it that way,” he said. “These are different times, today we compete half as much, we can’t compare numbers.
“Let’s enjoy Pogacar. He’s unique. Every race with him is a gift.”
Reflecting on 2025 and some memorable races, Contador added: “It’s been a beautiful year. All the Classics have been fiercely contested.”
He also highlighted Mathieu van der Poel’s intense battle with Pogacar at Paris-Roubaix as a standout moment.
Highlights: Van der Poel conquers ‘Hell of the North’ again, Pogacar second after crash
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“Those duels are truly memorable,” he said. “For the Tour winner to decide to enter the hell of Paris-Roubaix, to take risks, to get his hands dirty, to put everything on the line…that’s cycling that really gets under your skin.”
Contador, 42, was the last Spaniard to win a Grand Tour general classification, but he is optimistic about the country’s current crop of riders.
“It’s exciting,” he said. “We have a tremendous crop of talent: [Juan] Ayuso, Carlos Rodriguez – who has been more unlucky than he should have been – [Adria] Pericas, Pablo Torres… and veterans like Enric [Mas] or [Mikel] Landa who can still make waves.
“I just ask for time. And patience. But the direction is good.”
Contador was also quizzed on discussions of reducing Grand Tours from three weeks to two, and his opinion was clear.
“No,” he responded. “It would be losing part of its essence.
“I was a runner who exploded in the third week. How can you compare two with three? That’s where the romance lies. The epic. The territory where only the chosen ones survive.”
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