Slovenian cyclist Tadej Pogačar claimed his fifth overall victory at the Tour de France in July 2026. With this achievement, he definitively joined the ranks of five legendary riders who managed to win the world's most prestigious stage race five times: Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain. Pogačar's dominance in recent years has thus taken on a historical dimension that transcends mere statistics.
Pogačar, a rider for UAE Team Emirates, won the Tour de France for the first time in 2020 as one of the youngest winners in history. Triumphs followed in 2021, 2024, 2025 and now 2026. His riding style, characterised by explosive power in mountain stages, excellent time-trialling and tactical maturity, has repeatedly allowed him to dominate the general classification. In 2026, he managed to hold the yellow jersey for most of the race and confirm his position as the most prominent figure in contemporary road cycling. With five victories, he has equalled a record that experts had for decades considered almost unattainable.
The historical comparison with the "big five" is not merely formal. Anquetil dominated in the 1950s and 60s through precise time-trialling, Merckx in the 70s through his versatility and aggression, Hinault in the 80s through combativeness and Indurain in the 90s through physical superiority in the mountains and time trials. Pogačar combines elements of all these approaches while also representing a new generation of cyclists who grew up in an era of advanced sports science, detailed data analysis and a globalised peloton. His success also reflects the strength of the Slovenian cycling school, which over the past decade has produced several elite riders.
Beyond the sporting significance, however, this year's Tour de France has once again reopened the discussion about the sustainability of professional cycling under conditions of climate change. The summer of 2026 again brought extreme temperatures and heatwaves across Europe, which also affected the race routes. Riders and organisational teams faced temperatures exceeding 35 °C, increased risk of dehydration and the need to adjust training and racing protocols. Such conditions are becoming the norm rather than the exception in recent years.
The International Cycling Union (UCI) and the organisers of the Tour de France have already adopted several measures: extended time windows for starts, reinforced hydration zones, the possibility of shortening stages in extreme heat and greater emphasis on monitoring riders' health. Teams are investing in cooling vests, specialised nutritional strategies and materials with better thermoregulatory properties. Nevertheless, the question remains how to reconcile the traditional format of the three-week stage race with rising temperatures and weather instability over the long term.
Another aspect is the ecological footprint of the race itself. The Tour de France generates significant emissions as a result of the movement of support vehicles, television productions, logistics and team travel. In recent years, organisers have been introducing hybrid and electric vehicles, reducing the number of support cars and backing offset projects. Some teams are experimenting with more sustainable materials in clothing and equipment. Critics point out, however, that these measures are still rather piecemeal and that professional cycling as a whole must systematically reconsider its operating model.
The discussion about sustainability does not concern only environmental questions. It also encompasses the protection of riders' health, as they are exposed to increasingly extreme conditions, and the future shape of the racing calendar. Some experts propose greater flexibility in routes, moving some stages to cooler periods or placing greater emphasis on regional races with lower logistical demands. Others argue that the Tour de France is a cultural institution whose traditions should not be fundamentally disrupted, and that technological progress and adaptation can manage the problems.
Pogačar's fifth victory thus arrives at a time when professional cycling finds itself at a crossroads. On one side stands sporting excellence and historical milestones; on the other, the necessity of responding to changing climatic conditions and growing societal expectations regarding sustainability. His success is a reminder of the continuity of the great champions of the past, yet at the same time underlines that the future of the sport will depend not only on the talent and preparation of riders, but also on the ability of the entire cycling ecosystem to adapt to new realities.
Whatever angle we view this year's Tour de France from, Pogačar's performance remains utterly extraordinary and deserves full admiration. Alongside celebrating this historical milestone, however, it is entirely appropriate to raise the question of how to ensure that cycling remains attractive, safe and responsible at a time when extreme weather fluctuations are becoming the new norm. The way the sport responds to these challenges will fundamentally determine its shape in the decades ahead.
Prokop Stach