Pogacar power: what it took to win the Tour

Expert analysis reveals Tour champ’s wattages, reports James Shrubsall

- James Shrubsall

If you wondered exactly what it took for Tadej Pogacar to win the Tour de France, you’re in the right place – the astonishing wattages and climbing speed which propelled his stage wins, and ultimately the yellow jersey in Paris, have been calculated, and they make for impressive reading.

Stephen Gallagher and Philipp Diegner of Dig Deep Coaching have extrapolated the data from the UAE rider’s Strava files, as well as those of some of his main rivals, and while many of the numbers are estimates the pair, who have used unpublished rider data to analyse races for the last five years, are confident their figures are accurate.

One of Pogacar’s most impressive performances was during stage nine from Pau to Laruns – his first stage win of the Tour. The 22-year-old (then just 21), who weighs in at 65kg, clocked an average 7.03 watts per kilo over the steep final 2.5km of the last big climb of the day, the Col de Marie-Blanque, churning out 457 watts.