What does it actually mean to have a VO2 max close to 90 ml/kg/min? After Tadej Pogačar won Strade Bianche 2025 crashing, chasing, and attacking all within the same fifty kilometers a scientific model placed his aerobic capacity at the absolute limit of human physiology. In this video, I break down exactly what that number means, why a cardiologist once thought Miguel Induráin was having a heart attack mid-race, and why the man with the highest VO2 max ever recorded never won a Grand Tour.
This isn’t just about cycling. This is about the outer edge of what a human body can do.
— What is VO2 max and why does 90 change everything
— The Induráin ECG story cardiologists still talk about
— Oskar Svendsen: the biggest engine in history that went nowhere
— The Finnish skier born with natural EPO in his DNA
— The doping question answered with data, not drama
— What his heart looks like at 50 (the sequel nobody is talking about)
Chapters:
0:00 He crashed at 60 km/h. Then he won anyway.
0:51 The number that shouldn’t exist: 90 ml/kg/min
1:32 From a village of 5,000 people to the greatest cyclist alive
3:33 A scientist modeled his engine. Here’s what came back.
6:00 His heart beats 30 times a minute. Yours beats 70.
7:14 The cardiologist who thought Induráin was dying mid-race
8:21 The man with the highest VO2 max ever recorded — who you’ve never heard of
9:29 The Finnish skier born with EPO already in his blood
11:55 The doping question answered with data, not opinion
13:53 What his heart looks like at 50: the question nobody is asking
15:28 Nature or science? The final verdict.
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#Pogacar #CyclingScience #VO2Max #Physiology #SportsScience
7 Comments
Most doped person in history of all sports
i understand
As, said, need more than a high VO2 max. Need strong bones, tendons, ligaments, muscles, joints, and a combination of fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscle fibers that favor stage racing cycling. And obviously you need the mind-set to train and race intelligently for optimum results. Men do all the most difficult jobs in the world like coal mining, oil rig operation, building, landscaping; I believe there are many men today with the same physiology as Pogacar, they just don't know it, probably hundreds of thousands of men. Pogacar is special, that we recognize, but we will never know how special. Could be every sherpa who climbs Everest Mountain a hundred times or more is another Pogacar too. This entire discussion is why we should never idolize sports figures; they are all born with a gift they didn't earn. I have said this a 1000 times, when you look at all the athletes in the Iron Man Triathlon, most likely the person who finished in 100th place is the most disciplined and accomplished in training their body to maximum strength, power and endurance. Why? Because they have to be. Don't believe me? Next time you're at a pro football game go talk to all those guys on the 3rd string bench and tell them if they would "just try harder" they could be on the 1st string bench. They will look you like you're crazy, they are already much more disciplined than the best players on the team, but genetics will not allow them to go further. That is sports competition, not always the most disciplined and dedicated athlete wins, probably never wins.
All this work and can't pronounce "Tadej" correctly. AI sucks balls.
Conclusion: genetic freak + love for a sport = GOAT…
My opinion: in a few years, maybe even now, genetic doping is the new EPO…
At this moment it is clear that endurance sports is a natural selection for genetically gifted individuals…
Us, amateur mortals, we can only sit in awe and marvel 😂
Agree, the AI narration was quite poor, and disrespected Tadej by not pronouncing his name correctly, and simultaneously disrespects the audience by not having the professionalism to be conscientious in preparing and posting the video. The laziness and sloppiness of this video is duly noted.
A very significant physiologic variable not addressed in this video: Tadej Pogačar has an unusually robust ability to clear lactate from his blood (see interviews with Iñigo San Millán), an ability that is as much above the average World Tour cyclist as is his VO2 max. This helps to explain his remarkable capability.
And another thought…brute strength alone rarely wins races. Tactics most often trump the best legs in the race. Tadej Pogačar has made some very poor tactical decisions and still won races, but that's luck that can easily run out. I think he's learned from those mistakes and is more careful now about foolishly burning matches. And there are other variables he's learned to respect, like proper fueling (which is why Jonas V famously beat him on a climb once). I admire Tadej because he seems to have real humility, and is willing to learn from his mistakes. He seems to be maturing very nicely, and not wasting his talent in frivolous shennigans.
Tadesh? Ai is so stupid 😅