Tadej Pogačar’s VO2 max could be as high as 96ml/kg/min, a new study has found, making him the most physiologically impressive Tour de France winner in history.
VO2 max, also known as maximal oxygen uptake, is the measurement of a person’s maximum rate of oxygen consumption during intense exercise. Recorded in ml/kg/min, male pros tend to have a value in the mid-70s to the high-80s, with only the very best exceeding 90; five-time Tour winner Miguel Induráin, for example, was believed to have a VO2 max of 88, similar to Chris Froome, a four-time champion. Three-time winner Greg Lemond has said his VO2 max was around 93.
