Tadej Pogačar has moved the goalposts for what it means to be a Tour de France champion. Whether it be cobbles, gravel, murs or bergs, Pogačar doesn’t shy away from taking on any challenge across the cycling calendar.
With fingers in many pies, the kid from Komenda has taken to the start line of 14 Monuments since his Classics debut in 2019. In that time, the baby-faced Pogačar has slotted onto the podium on eight occasions, including taking six wins, proving he is more than just a Grand Tour big cheese.
More remarkable is his consistency. Since his watershed Tour de France win in 2020, Tadej Pogačar has finished inside the top 5 at each Monument he has tackled, apart from the cursed Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2023, which saw him crash out.
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This ranking of his performances is not based on the arbitrary finishing position. It will factor in panache, pizzazz and pathos into its ranking position. Prepare for Pogi’s ego to be inflated as we dissect each of his 14 Monument performances.
The lower rankings
14. Liège–Bastogne–Liège 2023 (DNF)
13. Liège–Bastogne–Liège 2019 (finished 18th)
12. Milan-San Remo 2020 (12th)
11. Liège–Bastogne–Liège 2020 (3rd)
10. Milan-San Remo 2022
Pog’s finishing position: 5th
All eyes were on Pogačar at his much-anticipated return to La Classicissima. An effortless win at Strade Bianche followed by a walk-over in Tirenno-Adriatico made the Slovenian the favourite for glory. That said, this wasn’t without its question marks. As a Grand Tour star, the ways of winning San Remo are few and far between.
Regardless, Pogačar decided that the best form of defence was to attack. This eventually backfired. However, it did make for much tension up the Cipressa and the Poggio as he rolled the dice with little to lose.
Still finishing in fifth place, he put in a good day’s work, good enough to beat some mean sprinters in the group. Overall, it’s not bad, but not out of this world either. A rare B-Grade race.
I’ll never forgive 2022 for birthing the annual ‘will Pogačar attack on the Cipressa’ discussion.
9. Il Lombardia 2021
Pog’s finishing position: 1st
The lowest placing of his Monument wins, the 2021 Giro di Lombardia finds its way onto the list early on. After a fatiguing season for Pogačar that saw him claim a Grand Tour title, Monument wins and an Olympic medal, a Lombardia debut was the epilogue for his Merckxian year.
An early attack on the day yielded an early lead for the reigning Tour de France champion. A concerted effort by Fausto Masnada, the eel of Bergamo, made Pogačar’s challenge for the title a little trickier. In a two-up sprint to the line against QuickStep’s Masnada, Pogačar took the title with few frills expended.
This was the McDonald’s Quarter Pounder of Monument wins. It’s necessary sustenance, but there are better things on the menu. Do better next time Tadej.
8. Milan-San Remo 2023
Pog’s finishing position: 4th
San Remo: the sequel. Pogačar entered the 2023 MSR in similar fashion to the year prior. With lessons learnt from the year before, we all expected a step up from Pogačar – if there were even any more steps to be made.
More attacks on the Poggio came, but this time he had more company. Distilled down into an all-star group including Wout van Aert, Mathieu van der Poel and Olympic track champion Pippo Ganna, Pogi had a shout at taking the race win.
As Van der Poel went up the road, Pogačar’s chances became fleeting. Holding on for fourth place on the day, this was a commendable step in the right direction for Pogačar.
7. Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2021
Pog’s finishing position: 1st
One of his less memorable Monument rides, the 2021 Liège-Bastogne-Liège nonetheless started his Monument winning journey. Just six months after the previous edition, Liège 2021 was fuelled with talks about Alaphilippe redemption and a renewed Pog vs Rog battle.
Proceedings were a little punctured in reality. Michael Woods rolled the dice, and the favourites duly stepped up. With Alaphilippe fixed onto his back wheel, Pogi made it into the front group with ease. Able to bet on his fast kick at the end, he outfoxed some big names of old and new, even pipping the World Champion Alaphilippe to the line – who at least this time knew he finished second.
A win’s a win, but in terms of Pogačar performances, this is on the modest end of the spectrum.
6. Milan-San Remo 2024
Pog’s finishing position: 3rd
With plenty of ‘can Pogačar win San Remo?’ debates coming off the Gulf Stream, the 2024 Milan-San Remo had plenty of possible scenarios and favourites on hand. A mightily strong UAE Team Emirates line-up on paper and a more mature Pogačar made for a convincing challenge for the Classicissima crown.
In reality, the 2024 edition proved testing. With depleted team support on the road, and only an inexperienced Isaac del Torro to assist, the odds were stacked against him.
In his best San Remo attack to date, Pogačar finally got some distance on the peloton. This didn’t last long, though, as World Champion Van der Poel closed the gap coming onto the descent into town.
After firing all those bullets up the climb, Pogačar had enough left in the tank to reach the final podium in a sprint (ahead of Mads Pedersen no less). In every scenario, Pogačar was visible. The win in San Remo can’t be far off now, can it?
5. Il Lombardia 2022
Pog’s finishing position: 1st
In the shadow of a Tour de France defeat and a World Championship whoopsie, Pogačar needed to rise to the occasion on title defence duties at Lombardia. This wasn’t a worry for Pogačar, he and his team were bullish throughout the day, controlling affairs with a water-tight seal.
Much like his 2021 win, 2022 saw Pogi have company in the final kilometres. In a renaissance ride, Enric Mas revitalised his post-Vuelta legs to guide him into a lucrative position in the wheel of reigning champion Pogačar. No stinging attack could drop the Catalan, and Pogačar kept his powder dry for the final dash to the line in Como.
In the end, the result was inevitable. Spare a thought for poor Mas though. Maybe one day he’ll take that big race win.
4. Tour of Flanders 2022
Pog’s finishing position: 4th
2022 was a season of cobble discovery for Pogačar. After playing his hand more at the one-day races, he wasn’t shy to take on the bergs of Flanders, just a few days after his first cobble exploit at Dwaars door Vlaanderen.
The Tour de France champion’s cameo at Flanders was no novelty. Pogačar was far more than a bit-part player, acting as protagonist in an on-screen pairing with Van der Poel up front.
Unlucky not to drop his rival on the Paterberg, Pogačar had tested the Dutchman up the cobbled climbs more than anyone else over the previous seasons.
The excitement fizzed over, Pogačar lost his cool and slipped out of contention for the win once the duo of Valentin Madouas and Dylan van Baarle crashed the party. In a heated exchange afterwards, we saw a side to Pogačar we rarely see.
3. Il Lombardia 2023
Pog’s finishing position: 1st
By 2023, it looked futile for anyone to even try and challenge Pogačar for the title of the Il Lombardia. They say good things come in threes.
Away on a descent with 30km to go, Pogi soon found daylight between himself and the pack. Banishing debates about poor descending, he hung on through the downhill to stay solo up in front with a lead of almost a minute.
A brief glimpse of cramp brought forward some doubt, but it was all in vain as he sailed away to a third Lombardy win in a row, and the first one in the Slovenian champion's jersey in his most emphatic win at Lombardy to date.
In McDonald's terms, this is the 20 Chicken Nuggets Sharebox of Monument wins. Lots of sustenance, but we’re getting very familiar with the taste.
2. Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2024
Pog’s finishing position: 1st
Pogačar's most recent success was always going to be high on the list.
Up against a firing Van der Poel and a field of hungry pretenders, Pogačar made it known what his plan was going to be. Simply, he said he was going to attack on Côte de La Redoute and he did just that. Without flinching, he was away on the hardest test in the race. Stretching the peloton to breaking point, they flailed behind. In dominant manner, like most 2024 Monument victories, he had gained a one-minute advantage within a handful of kilometres, dampening the hopes of any other rider searching out the Ardennais trophy.
Inevitable from the start, Pogi's most recent LBL win came with few frills and even fewer thrills. A well-deserved Monument victory at the very race that tore his season apart 12 months prior.
1. Tour of Flanders 2023
Pog’s finishing position: 1st
This might not necessarily be his most emphatic win, but it was certainly the most impressive.
On a startlist alongside both Van der Poel and Van Aert, Pogačar was the romantic’s choice for Flanders glory.
His right-hand man Tim Wellens came down in the now infamous ‘Maciejuk puddle incident’. Down on personnel, Pogi would have a job on his hands to overthrow the Jumbo-Visma mammoth and Van der Poel’s mitre.
That said, Pogačar was clearly the most confident on the day – willing to test the legs and leave it all on the table. Up the Kwaremont one final time, Pogačar opened up the engine. By dropping Van der Poel, he had made the difference that he failed to do back in 2022.
A solo ride into Oudenaarde couldn’t testify Tadej’s strength more. In a blockbuster race, the lead role was always going to be the Slovenian. Pogačar beat the cobbled stars at their own game. Beating Wout, Mads, Mathieu and everyone in between, Pogačar showed them all up in their own backyard.
A Tour de France winner as the winner of Flanders? You don’t see that every day.
Tadej Pogačar is not the only rider to receive our ranking treatment, check out our ranking of Van der Poel's Monument performances
