'Merry Christmas' – Tadej Pogačar smashes his own Strava KOM on Coll de Rates
World champion takes 24 seconds off record he set last year
Tadej Pogačar returned to break his own Strava KOM on the famous Coll de Rates climb in Spain, setting a time of 11:57.
The UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider claimed the record last December, in a time of 12:21, but has now taken a further 24 seconds off the record ascent, on a Friday spin. The official verified Strava segment is 6.43km at 5.5%, meaning 347m of elevation gain.
Pogačar was in the area for his team's training camp, with Calpe or Benidorm on the Costa Blanca a popular spot for squads this time of year. The Coll de Rates is a regular haunt for pro riders testing themselves.
The world champion set the record time, which meant he averaged 32.3km/h, as part of a 226km ride he titled "Merry Christmas and happy new year". Last year, he set the record on 20 December, this year it was 19 December; it seems like a final flourish before heading home to enjoy the end of 2025.
The whole ride, which took over six hours, was ridden at 36.8km/h, despite taking in over 4,000m of elevation gain. That's some festive ride.
Before Pogačar, the record was held by Jonas Vingegaard’s former ColoQuick team through Peter Øxenberg Hansen, who set a record of 12:38.
Pogačar rode with teammates including Kevin Vermaerke, Florian Vermeersch, Domen Novak, Nils Politt and Pavel Sivakov.
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The climb itself was seemingly ridden as a team time trial, in order to give the 27-year-old the best chance of succeeding in his goal.
Pogačar will begin his 2026 season at Strade Bianche in March, before lining up for Milan-San Remo, the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
His season will build to targeting a record-equalling fifth Tour de France in July, but it feels clear that his focus is on Roubaix and San Remo first, the two Monuments he is yet to win.
At his team's media day earlier in December, Pogačar said: "I think if I could choose one [race to win between one extra Tour title or Roubaix] it’d be Roubaix. I’ve already won four [Tours], so if I win four of five… there is a bigger difference between zero and one than four and five."
The Slovenian has already been spotted training for Roubaix, months away from the cobbled race.
Adam is Cycling Weekly’s news editor – his greatest love is road racing but as long as he is cycling, he's happy. Before joining CW in 2021 he spent two years writing for Procycling. He's usually out and about on the roads of Bristol and its surrounds.
Before cycling took over his professional life, he covered ecclesiastical matters at the world’s largest Anglican newspaper and politics at Business Insider. Don't ask how that is related to riding bikes.
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