The Pro Peloton Has Gotten Even Faster in 2026 — Just Wait until Pogačar Starts Racing

Anyone who holds a Strava KOM, be warned: the peloton is coming to break a bunch more climbing records in 2026.

Just this weekend, new fastest times were set on two signature climbs as the high-performance era of modern cycling continues to accelerate.

On Saturday, “the new Pogi” Isaac del Toro bettered his teammate Adam Yates’ mark on the iconic Jebel Hafeet summit of the UAE Tour. The Mexican sensation went 41 seconds better than Yates’ time from 2023 to set the new mark at 25:32.

One day later, Del Toro’s Gen-Z rivals Juan Ayuso, Oscar Onley, and Paul Seixas all blew Alberto Contador off the top of the leaderboard of the Algarve’s Alto de Malhão.

The three fresh-faced wunderkinds lowered Contador’s mark from 2016 from 6:48 to 6:39 in a GC showdown on the cruel 10 percent kicker that crowned the Volta ao Algarve.

If there was ever a sign that cycling is going stratospheric, it’s this.

Hyper-fueling, aero-finessing, and refinements in training science helped write new records through 2025, and their impacts are already trickling into 2026.

Riders have arrived out of the so-called “off-season” red hot and with plenty more gains to come. Altitude camps through the spring and the intensity of racing will tilt power upward and body mass downward.

And perhaps more to the point – “Mr. leaderboard annihilator” Pogačar hasn’t even started his season yet.

6.5w/kg is only good for a top-10 – and it’s still winter

Of course, the times and speeds of climbing records mean little as a gauge of physiological performance.

Wind directions, “leadout riders,” and the surges and slowdowns of racing all influence times from A to B.

However, data is out there to back up the peloton’s hot start.

Of the four record-breakers mentioned above, Onley is the only one to share his data to Strava.

Per his upload from the stage, the 23-year-old blasted an average of 500 watts on the punishing Portuguese “Wall of Malhão.” For the 62kg climber, that’s around 8w/kg for close to seven minutes.

For a comparative effort, Velon estimated that Del Toro averaged 470 watts over the final 9:21 of the UAE Tour’s savage Jebel Mobrah climb last Wednesday. At around 64kg, that’s around 7.3 watts per kilo for “Torito.”

Elsewhere, data reported by notorious social media data fiend “ammattipyöräily” suggests Norwegian climber Tobias Halland Johannessen averaged around 6.5w/kg for both of the 25-minute summit finishes in the UAE Tour.

Those performances were only good enough for a pair of top-10s – and it’s still only February.

What does it all mean?

The record times set by Del Toro, Onley, Seixas, and Ayuso mean a lot and nothing all at once.

Technological advancement, environmental factors, and race tactics can be as crucial as raw power in setting such records.

However, the nuggets of power data from last week’s races are more interesting. The numbers spilling out of the UAE Tour and Volta ao Algarve don’t break any boundaries, but they’re a sure sign of things to come.

For context, Pogačar’s winning ride last summer up the mythical Mont Ventoux at some 6.4 w/kg for 54 minutes is regarded the ultimate benchmark. For shorter efforts, his 475-watt obliteration of the Tour’s climbing time trial on the Peyragudes [7.5w/kg for 17:19] makes Del Toro and Onley’s numbers look novice.

But context is key.

Del Toro and Co’s performances in the UAE and Algarve are reflective of riders fresh out of the off-season. Their performances will become even more impressive with every race and successive trip to altitude.

Expect new climbing records and power PBs to be reported with every passing race.