Can Tadej Pogacar-Jonas Vingegaard rivalry be compared to Federer-Nadal and Messi-Ronaldo? Vote as pair seal FIFTH Tour de France one-two in a row
Updated 28/07/2025 at 15:19 GMT+1
When will someone not called Tadej Pogacar or Jonas Vingegaard stand on the top step of the Tour de France podium? Even the second step has been on lockdown these past five years, as the pair's gripping, annual contest continued into 2025. With another episode possibly on the cards at the Vuelta a Espana, Vingegaard's Visma-Lease a Bike see it as the equal of some of sport's best-ever rivalries.
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Video credit: TNT Sports
Cycling has never seen a rivalry quite like Tadej Pogacar v Jonas Vingegaard - and with the pair pushing each other to the limit once more in 2025, the duo are being compared to some of the most legendary match-ups in all sporting history.
The 2025 edition of the Tour de France saw them - for the fifth year running - complete a one-two on the podium, and with Pogacar (UAE Emirates-XRG) aged just 26 and Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) 28, it could be a theme that runs for years yet.
In a remarkable stat, the two are separated by just five minutes and 49 seconds in Pogacar's favour across the five editions (and 105 stages) since 2021, in a sign of how closely they have been matched.
After the Tour came to a close with a captivating finish on Sunday - won by Visma's storming Wout van Aert - Vingegaard's Visma team paid a rich tribute to the two-wheeled warriors, invoking some storied names from the past.
"Congratulations, Tadej Pogacar. What a battle we’ve fought over the past weeks," Visma posted on Instagram.
"You are the deserved winner of the 2025 Tour de France. You help us live up to one of our core values: bringing out the very best in ourselves.
"It’s what makes sport so beautiful: the rivalry between two great champions that keeps people on the edge of their seats and makes them fall in love with the sport.
"Just like [Muhammad] Ali and [Joe] Frazier stood in the ring, like [Roger] Federer and [Rafael] Nadal clashed on the tennis court, like [Lionel] Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo pushed each other on the pitch.
"Not enemies, but rivals who make each other better. Two champions pushing one another to the limit.
"Over these past weeks, you fought for more than just the yellow jersey. You fought to give our sport the stage it deserves.
"Tadej and Jonas, the rivals of an already incredibly strong cycling generation. The champions of our cycling hearts.
"Here’s to many more of these epic battles in the future, guys!"
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In exciting news for fans of this engrossing mano a mano, Pogacar teased that he may ride the Vuelta a Espana, which Vingegaard has already confirmed to be featuring in.
Pogacar, as a Giro d'Italia champion in 2024, is looking to complete the Grand Tour set aged 26, while Vingegaard finished second in 2023 and will also be chasing his own first red jersey.
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