Tadej Pogačar is dominating the game like few earlier than him and has gained his fourth Tour de France. However there may be hope for his rivals and people hoping to emulate him within the second half of the last decade.
Pogačar is now 26 and hinted he could not truly serve out his contract with UAE Staff Emirates-XRG till 2030. He’s more likely to win a fifth yellow jersey and even perhaps a report breaking sixth Tour however has advised the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Video games is without doubt one of the last objectives of his profession.
Jonas Vingegaard is at present Pogačar’s largest rival however the Dane is already 28. The Pogačar-Vingegaard Tour domination might finish within the subsequent two years, providing the subsequent technology of tremendous abilities an opportunity to take the Tour de France crown in 2029, if not earlier.
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These next-gen Grand Tour riders are expert and bold. They’ve developed utilizing the most recent coaching strategies resembling altitude camps and fashionable race diet. Some are nonetheless youngsters however they’re able to race at WorldTour degree. The primary post-Pogačar Tour winner is definitely amongst them.
The outcomes of the distinguished junior Giro della Lunigiana stage race (September 4-7) are additionally value watching to comply with the longer term abilities of the game. Seixas gained the Giro della Lunigiana final yr, Lenny Martinez in 2021, Evenepoel in 2018, Pogačar in 2016 and Tao Geoghegan Hart in 2013.
Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep)
There’s a enormous debate about if Remco Evenepoel can ever win the Tour de France however he’s an plain generational expertise. He doesn’t have the climbing capacity to match Pogačar within the mountains however was third on his Tour debut in 2024.
Evenepoel’s transfer to Purple Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe subsequent yr will certainly increase his improvement as a Grand Tour rider, with a stronger workforce and a efficiency construction additionally enormous elements in his future improvement. Few riders are as mature, in charge of their profession and hungry for fulfillment like Evenepoel.
The 24-year-old Belgian’s time trialing capacity will all the time enable him to realize important time on his rivals, particularly towards pure climbers. If ASO decides so as to add extra and longer time trials in future Excursions, it might tip the stability in Evenepoel’s favour and assist him win the yellow jersey.
Isaac del Toro (UAE Staff Emirates-XRG)
The 21-year-old Mexican was the revelation of the 2025 Giro d’Italia however his general victory within the 2023 Tour de L’Avenir was already a transparent indication of his abilities.
Isaac del Toro arguably misplaced the Giro resulting from lack of expertise and dangerous techniques however it was a lesson learnt for the longer term. It additionally helped him rise within the UAE hierarchy and he properly has the identical agent as Pogačar, so it could not be a shock to see him experience the 2026 Tour alongside Pogačar as a part of his Grand Tour apprenticeship.
Albert Withen Philipsen (Lidl-Trek)
The Dane is simply 18 however is already racing at WorldTour degree with Lidl-Trek, whereas additionally focusing on particular under-23 races and mountain bike races.
Albert Withen Philipsen was junior highway race world champion in Glasgow in 2023 after which European junior time trial champion, with different success in mountain biking and cyclocross a affirmation of his many abilities.
This yr he gained Paris-Roubiax Espoirs driving for the Lidl-Trek improvement workforce and so he could finally develop right into a world class Classics rider moderately than a Grand Tour contender however no matter highway he finally takes, Withen Philipsen appears set to be a future star of the game.
Giulio Pellizzari (Purple Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe)
Italy is determined to search out the subsequent Vincenzo Nibali, who can win the Giro d’Italia and even perhaps the Tour.
Giulio Pellizzari, and maybe Davide Piganzoli who rides for Staff Polti-VisitMalta however is about to affix Visma-Lease a Bike in 2026, seem like the subsequent nice Italian stage racers. They completed second and third behind Del Toro within the 2023 Tour de L’Avenir.
21-year-old Pellizzari was cruelly stopped from successful a stage of the 2024 Giro by Pogačar however got here on leaps and bounds after his transfer to Purple Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe and completed sixth on this yr’s Corsa Rosa after designated chief Primož Roglič deserted resulting from his crash accidents.
Pellizzari is a part of the Purple Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe workforce for the Vuelta a España. He’s more likely to goal stage victories moderately than the GC however like his shut good friend Del Toro, he has a laid again way of living and racing that helps deal with the pressures of being a Grand Tour contender.
Lorenzo Finn (Purple Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe Rookies)
If Pellizzari and Piganzoli fail to develop within the years to come back, then Anglo-Italian Lorenzo Finn might shortly usurp them.
Finn was second to Seixas within the 2024 Giro della Lunigiana after which gained the junior highway race world title in Zurich, with a experience as equally dominant as Pogačar within the elite males’s race. He was sixth general within the Giro d’Italia Subsequent Gen whereas driving for teammate Luke Tuckwell (one other identify to recollect) and gained the mountains classification.
Finn continues to be maturing bodily and is anticipated to stick with the Purple Bull Rookies programme subsequent season however will certainly get an opportunity to experience a variety of WorldTour races in 2026. Look ahead to him on the Tour de L’Avenir.
Florian Lipowitz (Purple Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe)
Purple Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe are each shopping for future Grand Tour expertise and growing it in-house. Evenepoel is the costly outdoors rent whereas 24-year-old Florian Lipowitz is in-house German expertise.
He got here to biking late after competing in biathlon however stepped as much as WorldTour degree in 2023 and gained the Czech Tour. He was third on the 2024 Tour de Romandie and confirmed his Grand Tour abilities with seventh on his debut on the Vuelta, whereas serving to Roglič win the general.
He was second in Pais-Good in March, third at Itzulia Basque Nation and third on the Critérium du Dauphiné. The Tour ought to have been a journey of discovery however he turned the revelation of the race, completed third general and gained the very best younger rider competitors. Germany all of the sudden had a Tour de France contender.
Evenepoel’s charisma and international profile could relegate Lipowitz down the Grand Tour pecking order in 2026 however Lipowitz is already forward of Roglič and may solely study and enhance as Evenepoel takes the highlight and stress.
Paul Seixas (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale)
France has been ready for 40 years for the subsequent home-grown Tour de France winner and Paul Seixas appears to be the reply to their gallic anguish.
Seixas continues to be a young person however bodily and mentally mature past his years. He gained the junior world time trial title in Zurich after which was fifth on his skilled debut on the Grand Prix Cycliste de Marseille. He impressed on the Tour of the Alps, gifting a win to teammate Nicolas Prodhomme, earlier than ending eighth general on the Critérium du Dauphiné.
Seixas will lead the French workforce on the Tour de L’Avenir and the favorite for general victory regardless of a subject full of different Gen Z tremendous abilities.
Decathlon have secured delivery large CMA CGM as a second sponsor and boosted their finances to that of a brilliant workforce. Internally, Seixas’s improvement has been dubbed ‘Undertaking Tour 2030’ however do not be shocked if Seixas turns into a Tour contender earlier than that.
Decathlon even have Léo Bisiaux on their roster to create some inner rivalry. The 20-year-old was fourth within the 2024 Tour de L’Avenir and lately took his first professional win on a mountain stage on the Vuelta a Burgos. He’ll make his Grand Tour debut on the Vuelta a España.
Jørgen Nordhagen (Visma-Lease a Bike)
The 20-year-old Norwegian might simply be described as the subsequent Jonas Vingegaard. Jørgen NOrdhagen is a pure climber and confirmed his skilled potential even in 2024 when he was nonetheless racing for the Visma improvement workforce. He’s a part of the Visma ‘white jersey’ group of riders recognized for particular improvement.
Nordhagen was second at this yr’s Giro d’Italia Subsequent Gen and gained the ultimate mountain stage, regretting not being extra aggressive earlier within the eight-day race. He will certainly not make the identical mistake on the mountain phases of the Tour de L’Avenir whereas driving for the Norwegian workforce.
Jarno Widar (Lotto)
Many in Belgium hope that Evenepoel can at some point win the Tour de France however Jarno Widar might do it earlier than him. Widar has a contract with the Lotto programme till 2027 however is a real tremendous expertise, he might turn into the goal of a hostile buyout if a significant workforce goes after him.
The 19-year-old is already a confirmed stage race rider even earlier than he steps as much as WoldTour degree in 2026.
He gained the Giro d’Italia Subsequent Gen after which the mountainous Giro della Valle d’Aosta in 2024. Widar was in tears after dropping any likelihood of a second win on the Giro d’Italia Subsequent Gen this summer time due a crash however prevented any critical damage and returned to win three phases of the Giro della Valle d’Aosta.
Widar will lead the Belgian under-23 workforce on the Tour de L’Avenir after which on the Rwanda Street World Championships. New UCI guidelines imply a lot of his rivals who race for worldTour groups are unable to experience the under-23 race.
Jakob Omrzel (Bahrain Victorious Improvement Staff)
Slovenian biking appears to have discovered the subsequent Tadej Pogačar, with 19-year-old Jakob Omrzel a prodigious expertise.
Omrzel gained the Giro d’Italia Subsequent Gen with a courageous, all-out assault within the last stage, doing sufficient to distance race chief Luke Tuckwell (Purple Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe Rookies) and win the maglia rosa.
Omrzel suffered a life-threatening minimize to his neck on the 2024 Giro della Lunigiana and spent a protracted spell in hospital however made a fast restoration. He gained the Junior Paris-Roubaix in 2024 and lately gained the vastly prestigious GP Capodarco one-day race in Italy. He seems to have the power to win each type of race, identical to Pogačar.
Pablo Torres and Adrià Pericas (UAE Staff Emirates Gen Z)
Juan Ayuso is taken into account Spain’s subsequent good thing however behind him, Pablo Torres and Adrià Pericas are displaying much more potential, whilst youngsters. They’ll lead the Spanish workforce on the Tour de L’Avenir.
19-year-old Torres completed second general on the Tour de L’Avenir in 2024. He gained the ultimate stage on the Colle delle Finestre gravel climb however a tactical blunder on stage 5 meant he misplaced 5 minutes to Britain’s Joe Blackmore and simply failed to realize sufficient time to win the GC.
Torres stepped up the UAE WorldTour workforce and has ridden a blended programme that may enable him to peak for the Tour de L’Avenir.
Pericas is following the same path however is driving for the UAE Gen Z improvement workforce in 2025. He’ll step-up in 2026 and has a contract till 2030, an indication UAE imagine in his abilities.
