Pogačar

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Pogačar (波加查)
Alias(es)	“Martian”
Species/Race	Human
Gender	Male
Nationality	Slovenian
Affiliation	UAE Team Emirates
Occupation/Role	Professional road cyclist; team leader and general-classification rider
Status	Active
First Appearance	1

Racing Profile

Specialty	Profile
Rider type	An all-round general-classification rider capable of contesting Grand Tours, one-day Classics, climbs, and sprint finishes.
Team role	UAE Team Emirates’ undisputed leader; the team’s domestiques structure race control and lead-outs around his attacks. 169 170 194
Reputation	Widely regarded as the world’s number-one road cyclist and a once-in-a-century all-round talent. 162 133
Strengths	Sustained climbing power, anaerobic attacks, recovery, stable climbing form, and explosive sprinting. 21 50 164 185
Key limitation	On flatter or shallower Classic climbs, he may be unable to drop Mathieu van der Poel before the finish. 164

Major Results

Event	Result	Notes
2020 Tour de France	Overall winner	Overcame a 57-second deficit to Primož Roglič in the Stage 20 individual time trial. 13
2021 Tour de France	Overall winner	Entered 2022 as the reigning two-time Tour champion. 1
2022 Tour de France, Stage 11	Dropped by Jonas Vingegaard	Jumbo–Visma used Roglič and Vingegaard as dual leaders to isolate and crack him on Col du Granon; Vingegaard took yellow by 2 minutes 22 seconds. 1
2024 Strade Bianche	Winner	Won his season debut with ease. 162
2024 Milan–San Remo	Third place	Attacked aggressively on Poggio but could not shake Van der Poel; Pidcock rejoined them on the descent before Philipsen won the sprint. 164
2024 Volta a Catalunya	Overall winner; four stage wins	Won Stages 2, 3, 6, and 7, taking the overall title by 3 minutes 41 seconds. 165
2024 Liège–Bastogne–Liège	Winner	Defended his title after dropping Huang Chong on the later climbs. 171
2024 Tour de France	Overall winner; King of the Mountains	Won the yellow and polka-dot jerseys, while Huang Chong finished second overall. 191 196

Personality

Pogačar races with complete confidence in his ability to decide events through aggressive attacks. He is willing to launch long-range efforts on steep climbs and continue raising the pace when a rival remains on his wheel. 164 170

Despite his dominance, he recognizes exceptional opponents. Huang Chong’s performance at Liège–Bastogne–Liège makes Pogačar view him as a genuine threat, prompting UAE Team Emirates to adjust its pacing plan. He also accepts Huang Chong’s Stage 4 Tour de France victory with sportsmanship. 170 185

Abilities & Skills

All-Round General-Classification Racing

Pogačar is portrayed as the defining all-round GC rider: capable of winning three-week stage races while also contesting demanding one-day events.

• Won the Tour de France overall in 2020 and 2021. 1 13
• Can compete against Classics specialists such as Van der Poel in major one-day races. 21
• Won the 2024 Volta a Catalunya with four individual stage victories. 165
• His versatility is attributed in part to exceptional recovery after anaerobic exertion. 50

Climbing and Sustained Power

Pogačar’s greatest advantage is his sustained output on severe climbs, where he can repeatedly attack after his team has exhausted the field.

• Can sustain a power-to-weight ratio above 7.0 over a forty-minute mountain climb. 164
• Maintains an unusually stable seated posture even on gradients above 10%, minimizing wasted movement. 170 174
• Dropped both Huang Chong and Vingegaard on Col du Galibier during the Tour de France. 184 187
• Reclaimed the Tour’s yellow jersey with a 45-second advantage over Huang Chong on a high-mountain summit finish. 190 191
• His long-climb FTP remains superior to Huang Chong’s, even when Huang Chong can match him in shorter explosive efforts. 170 190

Anaerobic Attacks and Sprinting

His climbing attacks combine high initial power with unusually long sustain, making it difficult for all but the strongest rivals to follow.

• His Poggio acceleration is described as an extended anaerobic effort that only Van der Poel could match. 164
• Uses out-of-saddle surges to break opponents after sustained seated climbing. 170 190
• Possesses strong flat-road sprint explosiveness, finishing third at Milan–San Remo and contesting Tour de France finishes. 164 183
• Huang Chong’s optimized sprint burst eventually becomes a specific threat, leading Pogačar to avoid allowing him an uncomplicated sprint finish. 185

Race Control and Tactical Pressure

UAE Team Emirates frequently builds its strategy around Pogačar’s decisive solo attacks.

• His domestiques control the peloton and lead him into designated attack zones. 169 170
• At Liège–Bastogne–Liège, UAE’s plan centered on an attack at Eagle’s Beak Hill after its support riders set the pace. 170
• At the Tour de France, UAE uses riders including Politt, Sivakov, Soler, Adam Yates, and Almeida to set up late mountain attacks. 190 194
• He can pressure rivals even after gaining separation, continuing to accelerate on descents and flats to deny recovery. 170

Relationships

• Huang Chong — Rival and emerging counterpart. Pogačar initially recognizes Huang as a strong newcomer after Huang wins the UAE Tour, then treats him as a serious threat after their Liège confrontation. 170 They contest the Tour de France’s yellow jersey, with Pogačar ultimately winning overall while Huang takes second. 183 196
• Jonas Vingegaard — Primary Grand Tour rival. Vingegaard and Jumbo–Visma defeat Pogačar through coordinated tactics at the 2022 Tour de France, while the two continue to trade attacks during the 2024 Tour. 1 183 192
• Mathieu van der Poel — Major one-day Classics rival. Van der Poel is one of the few riders able to follow Pogačar’s Poggio attack at Milan–San Remo. 164
• Primož Roglič — Historic Tour de France opponent. Roglič lost the 2020 Tour to Pogačar after Pogačar’s decisive Stage 20 time trial. 13 137
• UAE Team Emirates — His team and dedicated support structure. The squad repeatedly controls races and commits its riders to preparing his attacks. 169 170 194

Story Role / Major Arcs

2022 Tour de France Defeat

Pogačar begins as the reigning two-time Tour de France champion, but Jumbo–Visma’s dual-leader tactics overwhelm him on Stage 11. Vingegaard drops him on Col du Granon, takes yellow, and establishes a commanding lead. 1

Benchmark for Huang Chong

Throughout Huang Chong’s rise, Pogačar serves as the standard for the all-round rider Huang wants to become. Huang openly identifies him as his idol after winning La Flèche Wallonne with an attack resembling Pogačar’s previous victory. 21 169

Liège–Bastogne–Liège Rivalry

Their first direct confrontation occurs at Liège–Bastogne–Liège. Huang follows Pogačar’s attack on Eagle’s Beak Hill, forcing Pogačar to raise his pace, but Pogačar eventually drops him on Furnace Hill and defends the title. 170 171

2024 Tour de France Battle

Pogačar becomes Huang Chong’s chief rival for the yellow jersey. Huang temporarily leads the general classification, wins Stage 4 after joining Vingegaard to chase Pogačar, and successfully resists several early attacks. 183 184 186

Pogačar reclaims yellow on the first major summit finish, demonstrating a decisive advantage on sustained high-mountain terrain. He ultimately wins the Tour de France and the mountains classification, while Huang finishes second overall and wins the white jersey. 190 191 196

Trivia

• Pogačar is repeatedly called a “Martian” because his performances are portrayed as beyond ordinary professional standards. 164 165
• Huang Chong’s riding style, physique, stable climbing form, and short-climb explosiveness are frequently compared to Pogačar’s. 133 170
• In the novel’s 2024 season, Pogačar is portrayed as stronger than Vingegaard overall, particularly after improving his explosiveness on long climbs. 187