Tadej Pogačar doesn’t tend to voluntarily give up a race lead. When he’s in front, he stays in front. Of the 18 stage races he’s led in his professional career, he’s gone on to win 17. That’s as good as unbeatable. The 2022 Tour de France is the only race he’s lost having previously been in charge.
Since turning pro in 2019, he’s only ceded a race’s leader’s jersey on three occasions, and two (the 2020 Volta a Valenciana and 2024 Tour de France) were due to count-back – he subsequently regained the lead the day after. The other time was this year’s Critérium du Dauphiné, which can be considered the only time he willingly lent the leader’s jersey and had to fight hard to get it back.
