In 2022 we reviewed Andy McGrath’s biography of Frank Vandenbroucke here. That was the harrowing tale of a brilliant talent brought down by his own self-destructive nature. A talent that never reached its full potential. Now this same author’s latest book is one about cycling’s current superstar Tadej Pogačar. It is difficult to conceive of two personalities in pro cycling being more opposite than these. VDB was a Wild Man while Pogacar is, well, a Nice Boy. And that Nice Boy, as the book’s subtitle states, may very well be “the modern era’s greatest cyclist.”
The book opens with the author recounting his meeting with the Slovenian in Portugal in 2019. Pogačar had just won his first professional race. “I didn’t think much of our first encounter and didn’t leave the race believing he’d be a world-beater. No, he was a bright talent all right, but one in a crowded field of World Tour wunderkinds, popping up at the top of the results sheet and probably set to recede into the pack again for months.”
Well, not exactly. Later that season he went on to stand on the podium at the Vuelta and in the seven subsequent Grand Tours Pogačar has ridden he has never stepped off of it. Four Tour de France wins, a Giro victory, two World Championships, and 10 Monuments in more than 100 wins. Now only 27, he appears to improve every year and has been at the forefront of the changes in modern bike racing.
The book opens with a detailed account of the Stage 20 time trial of the 2020 Tour. By all appearances it would be Yellow Jersey wearer Primoz Roglič’s Tour to win but his young Slovenian compatriot had other ideas. We see here the degree of focus, of calm preparation, that characterizes the Pogačar we know today, five years later. For nearly three weeks he had surfed his way through the peloton. Losing time here, gaining it there he did not seem unduly burdened by the weakness of his UAE Team Emirates squad, which was disintegrating as time went on. And his performance did not trouble the mighty Team Jumbo-Visma much.
This was probably the last time that Pogačar has been underestimated and his brilliant ride that day took him to his first Tour win. The first rider since Laurent Fignon to win his initial Tour, he was also the youngest victor since 1904. And since then success has only continued and shows no sign of abating.
The book delves extensively into Pogačar’s background. His family, although not particularly sporting, was supportive and at nine he joined his older brother and begins bike racing. The author gives an excellent overview of the support that Slovenia, a small nation, offers its young athletes. It is apparent that even lacking deep financial resources, the Slovenians are hard workers and their dedication brings results. But it takes a while for Pogačar to make much of an impression in the racing world.
Given that he is smaller than most of his teammates he learns to manage defeat. The impression one gets is that his calm and introspective nature is useful here but also is his willingness to learn. Several times in the book his mentors point out that he seldom makes the same mistake twice. He is a model teammate, untroubled by having to work for others and even taking on that role unbidden.
Moving up through the ranks he attracts the attention of what is soon to become UAE Team Emirates. Victory at the Tour de l’Avenir in 2018 while riding for the Slovenian national team brought notice by World Tour teams including INEOS but UAE had already acted to sign the up-and-comer. His excellent first year in the World Tour would lead to that huge breakthrough at the Tour the next. And every year since 2021 Tadej Pogačar has held the UCI’s top ranking for men, currently going on for 228 weeks!
Why is he so good? First and foremost there is the impressive physiology. He is a genetic outlier, with an exceptionally high V02 maximum and the ability to pump out huge wattage for an astonishingly long time. Or a short time, as riders who attempt to follow Pogacar’s explosive jump have learned to their discomfort. Coupled with a freakish ability to recover quickly and you have a physical specimen that seems made for bike racing. He is that most unusual of riders–an all-rounder who can excel both in a three week stage race as well as the toughest One Day Classics on offer.
Furthermore, Pogačar’s experience and ability to analyse his races means his racecraft, which has improved visibly over the last five years, puts him at an advantage. Witness his superb ability to position himself in the peloton. Add these qualities with that of his leadership skills and for the time being he probably is the closest thing to “unstoppable.” We cannot overlook the psychological effect this has on his competitors, who often mentally throw up their hands and ride for second place when he accelerates away.
This excellent book not only provides the background to Pogačar’s own rise as an world-class athlete but also gives interesting insight into how the old-fashioned Lampre-Merida team, on the verge of collapsing when its Chinese sponsorship failed to come through, was rescued by the UAE in 2016. In only a few short years the team was completely overhauled to become pro cycling’s superpower with an unmatched roster of talent.
Pogačar’s contract with UAE Team Emirates goes until 2030 and with a huge buy-out clause he is likely to stay with the team for the remainder of his career. How long this soft-spoken champion will remain so dominant is an open question but there is nothing to suggest in this book, with its extensive interviews of family, friends, teammates, competitors, coaches and observers, that it will end very soon.
“Tadej Pagačar: Unstoppable” by Andy McGrath
264 pp., hardcover
Bloomsbury Sport, London, 2025
ISBN 978-1-399-42654-1
(To be released in North America on December 9, 2025)
Suggested price: 20 GBP/US$28/C$37
Available from Bloomsbury and AMAZON.COM.
# Photos are not from the book. #
The post PEZ Bookshelf: Tadej Pogačar: Unstoppable appeared first on PezCycling News.
