Imagine being at the peak of your career, dominating one of the most grueling sports in the world, only to have a nagging injury threaten to derail everything. That’s exactly what happened to Tadej Pogačar, the cycling phenom who recently revealed that a knee injury during the 2025 Tour de France left him questioning whether he could even continue. But here’s where it gets controversial: Could this injury have cost him the race, or did it fuel his determination to push harder? Let’s dive in.
Fresh off his record-tying fifth Il Lombardia victory, Pogačar opened up about the darkest moments of his season, which ironically came during his triumphant Tour de France campaign. The Slovenian superstar secured his fourth Tour title in Paris, finishing 4:24 ahead of his long-time rival, Jonas Vingegaard. Along the way, he snagged four stage wins and claimed his third mountain classification jersey—an astonishing feat by any measure. Yet, behind the glory, there was pain.
“The Tour is a beast,” Pogačar admitted. “It’s exhausting, relentless, and stressful. Sometimes I call it a necessary evil for every team.” And this is the part most people miss: Even the greatest athletes face moments of doubt, and Pogačar was no exception. After Stage 16, a grueling climb up Mont Ventoux where he finished fifth behind Valentin Paret-Peintre, his knee began to act up. “I started to wonder if I could even make it through the queen stage,” he confessed.
Fast forward to his Il Lombardia win—his 20th victory of the season, adding to an already legendary year that included wins at the Tour of Flanders, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and the Road World Championships—Pogačar returned home to Slovenia. There, he hosted the Pogi Challenge on the brutal Krvavec climb, a unique event where amateur riders start minutes ahead of him, and he tries to overtake them all. Out of 1,187 amateurs, only one managed to stay ahead: British racer Andrew Feather, a 40-year-old lawyer and four-time national hill-climb champion.
Feather, who started five minutes ahead of Pogačar, reached the summit in 44:15, while the world champion completed the 14km climb in 40:44. “I kept looking back, expecting him to catch me,” Feather told Cycling Weekly. “But he didn’t. It’s surreal to beat the best rider in the world—maybe the best ever.” Here’s the kicker: Feather averaged around 400 watts during his ascent, a testament to both his own prowess and Pogačar’s sheer dominance, even on an off day.
So, what does this all mean? Pogačar’s injury could have been a turning point, but instead, it became another chapter in his story of resilience. Yet, it raises a thought-provoking question: If even the greatest athletes face moments of doubt, what does it take to truly overcome them? And could Feather’s victory be a sign that even the best have their limits? Let us know your thoughts in the comments—this is one debate that’s sure to spark some heated opinions!
