In the yearly editions of the Guinness Book of Records I read growing up in the early noughties, there was a French gentleman who fascinated me, Monsieur Mangetout. The man from Grenoble, real name Michel Lotito, gained notoriety, or some kind of fame, for eating, well, everything. Mangetout started eating metal aged 16, and ate all sorts, including a Cessna light aircraft, and the award he was given by the Guinness Book of Records for being the person with the strangest diet.
Mangetout followed a tradition of Frenchman who consume seemingly everything, with Tarrare, a late 18th century showman and soldier another example, eating it all to entertain.
Watching Tadej Pogačar win stage 13 of the 2025 Tour de France, the second in a row, the fourth he has won at this race, the 21st he has ever won, put me in mind of Monsieur Mangetout and his ilk. The UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider has a compulsion to keep winning, keep putting time into his rivals – with eight stages left, he now has 4:07 on Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) in second, 7:24 on Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) in third.
The Slovenian won't stop devouring all before him, as if he is never full. Perhaps this is what it felt like watching Eddy Merckx in the 1970s, but this was over 20 years before I existed and started reading the Guinness Book of Records. I've been present for Pogačar wins at Paris-Nice, at the Tour of Flanders twice, at the World Championships, at 12 of his Tour stage wins, and it doesn't seem like ending.
Stage 13 being a time trial, there was a brief hope that his rivals could deliver today, turn the tide, as we saw Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) and Vingegaard storm up to Peyragudes and set fastest times. The truth is, they did deliver, but they can't – no one can – beat Pogačar at the moment.
Asked post-stage if he could continue to drive himself forward to win, and keep delivering, and ultimately what the point was, the 26-year-old sounded vaguely philosophic.
"I don’t know. It’s a good question, hard to answer," he said. "What’s the point of anything, you know? I started cycling when I was eight years old, and created my life around the bike. I found my closest friends on the bike, my fiancée on the bike. So the point is that you need to enjoy the moment, enjoy the little things, not just the victories, but like you said, you win, and people start to think of the next win, or if you’re winning too much.
"So enjoy the moment, what you’re doing, what you’re sacrificing everything for, and live in the moment is the right answer to this question. Don’t care too much about what everybody else thinks."
When Mark Cavendish won his 35th stage win last year, breaking the record at the Tour, taking over from Merckx, it seemed like a high bar for anyone to pass. However, Pogačar is already on 21 after stage 13 of this year's race, and it's not inconceivable that he could win as many as four more, starting tomorrow with the finish on Superbagnères. Pogačar is just one stage win behind Lance Armstrong, including his stripped victories, and seven behind Bernard Hinault. The record is in danger.
What is also in danger is the Slovenian alienating people, simply by winning too much. Pogačar has a huge fan base due to his attacking style and seemingly sunny disposition, but his likability grew when he lost the 2022 and 2023 Tours to Vingegaard, something that seems like it's in the distant past now. Other teams and riders might also be understandably annoyed that they are left to feed off scraps.
"I'm not here to make enemies, but it's the Tour de France, you cannot just back off if there's opportunity for a stage win," Pogačar argued. "You never know when your last day is on the Tour. I think I will say it honestly, the team pays you to win, not to give (wins) away, and there's a big big team behind you that supports you and works every single day of their career to come to the Tour, to win the Tour.
"I think if I single-handedly decided to start giving away just every opportunity that we can grab, I think my team would not be happy. If there's opportunity you go for it. In the end, when I finish my career, I will probably not speak to 99% of the peloton, honestly, and I will focus on my close friends and family."
Ultimately, it is not in anyone's interests, not the race organisers, not the fans, not the press, to have someone who is so clearly a step above his peers. Vingegaard put it one of the performances of his career, overtook time trial world champion Evenepoel on the road to Peyragudes, but still lost 30 seconds.
Asked if he was untouchable, Pogačar responded: "No, of course, if you see my 2022 or 2023 Tours, I had bad moments, and I cracked, and I lost the Tour. I mean, I had great Tours, both years, finished second, and took stage wins, but here was a moment that others could take time on me. You never know, I could have a bad moment or others have a better day than me, so I wouldn't say I'm untouchable. I will try to be, but a bad day can come."
That's what this is then, this is Pogačar trying to be untouchable. He is trying to eat it all, just like Monsieur Mangetout. Whether this is the healthiest option remains to be seen.
