He did a great job with the fakes torn kit and oozing, bloody flesh. Everyone bought it, right?
Folks want to see lead shots. Are there programs that can chart ahead of a drone at 40 mph and correct for impending objects? The type used in WC downhill events seem very loud; as much as a 2-stroke MX bike. That would be distracting but I expect they have battery powered capabilities beyond what is needed.
Watching a World Cup slalom and saw one fall just behind the winning skier. Think it was Bennie Raich. Years ago and they were gas-powered. Pretty much old school RC controls?
Berniece
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Not every crash is the same. Pogacar slid away. That’s not the same as suddenly a bike being thrown at you, falling hard, your nail being perforated and barely being able to hold your bike
Pogacar is tough as nails, MVP is a prima donna. MVP would probably be retired if he had WVA's problems with injuries.
And don't disturb what happened, Pogacar was visibly more hampered from the crash and he also got hit from behind after he went down. Let alone the time he had to recover after his crash, more 20" than MVP.
But keep your list of excuses, you will need in RVV
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The last 30k of the race were a great watch, I had previously thought that Pogacar might never win this race.
Apart from the incredible athletic performance, the descents were also key. I doubt any rider has ever prepared as specifically for MSR as Pogacar. He did the Cipressa and Poggio dozens of times in training and improved his descending every year. If he did the Cipressa descent a few seconds slower, they would have been caught just before the Poggio.
Many teams might also not have allowed their Tour de France leader to intentionally bulk up for this race (and Paris Roubaix).
A 37 rider group finishing just 4 seconds back after what Pogacar has pulled of also has not reduced my concerns for the following years of the race (without Pogacar) at all. The earliest a succesful move might go is the last k of the Poggio and 10k of racing is simply too short to make it an exciting race.
Apart from the incredible athletic performance, the descents were also key. I doubt any rider has ever prepared as specifically for MSR as Pogacar. He did the Cipressa and Poggio dozens of times in training and improved his descending every year. If he did the Cipressa descent a few seconds slower, they would have been caught just before the Poggio.
Many teams might also not have allowed their Tour de France leader to intentionally bulk up for this race (and Paris Roubaix).
A 37 rider group finishing just 4 seconds back after what Pogacar has pulled of also has not reduced my concerns for the following years of the race (without Pogacar) at all. The earliest a succesful move might go is the last k of the Poggio and 10k of racing is simply too short to make it an exciting race.
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Tells you all you need to know right? Brute force everything, nothing ever matters, every race a training ride.
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I thought he won them by brainless brute-force but it's just luck. Seems legit.
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Just like to say, chapeau to Big Mad Mads for coming in 4th. Not bad at all.
KoopaCycling
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That seems a bit much. Most Pogacar wins come from brute force and good bike handling/positioning. Rarely does luck come into play.
That said, I will not follow the logic of he crashed and that made it extra incredible.
He did not seem hindered from that crash at all, and if anything it simplified the race for him.
MVDP more severe injury, WVA not able to get to the (front of the ) peloton by the time cipressa attack began. lidl and visma unable to join hands in the chase till it was to late. If they had joined up earlier they might have caught them before the poggio, and so on. It's a nice story that he crashed and still managed the win. But only a story. he did not win despite the crash, he just won the race cause everything fell into place in the end.
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I have done some calculations of my own. Not quite on the academic level of Peyresourde, but here goes:
This is ten percent luck
Twenty percent luck
Fifteen percent concentrated power of luck
Five percent luck
Fifty percent brainless brute force
And a hundred percent reason to remember that unlike Tim Merlier he's not a horse
Berniece
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I don't mind him winning MSR and Roubaix, it's the way how he wins them. By sheer luck. Again.
He's obviously one of the best riders ever, which means that if any of the people able to fight him drops out due to unfortunate circumstances he has it easy. Which has been shown a couple of times already.
Weird way to describe probably the most epic win in MSR and in cycling.
KoopaCycling
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No. This was maybe Pogacar most epic win in MSR and cycling. But not the most epic win in MSR and in cycling.
Berniece
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That too. Like I said he is one of the best ever. But when his biggest competitor crashes hard it’s suddenly a lot easier…
If anyone is interested in discussing the race, instead of just moaning about Pogacar:
Does anyone know who dropped the wheel on the Cipressa? Because it seemed to me like it might have been a deliberate decision from some riders not to follow, meaning that the peloton wasn't as blown and there were more domestiques to work together in the valley. I know it didn't work yesterday, but I think it was a pretty good strategy. It probably wouldn't work on hillier races here UAE can just make the race hard beforehand, but if Pogacar were to ride MSR again (although it sounds like he might not), it's a really good strategy to bring him back after the Cipressa.
Does anyone know who dropped the wheel on the Cipressa? Because it seemed to me like it might have been a deliberate decision from some riders not to follow, meaning that the peloton wasn't as blown and there were more domestiques to work together in the valley. I know it didn't work yesterday, but I think it was a pretty good strategy. It probably wouldn't work on hillier races here UAE can just make the race hard beforehand, but if Pogacar were to ride MSR again (although it sounds like he might not), it's a really good strategy to bring him back after the Cipressa.
KoopaCycling
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That usually helps. Kopecky also had an easier time yesterday than expected. Vos unfortunate home situation, crash of other favourites, ... . It is part of cycling. But i agree that Pogacar fans will automatically consider it epic and greatness just cause he crashed without damage.
Me, i would focus on the descent & sprint. that was what stood out for me in pogacar performance yesterday.
The rest was as expected.
I think the key part is actually not going solo over Cipressa. Getting a couple of guys with you that are working together is actually very important for such a move to succeed.
Because as you say the others may preserve some energy, hoping their doms can bring it back.
But if the three strongest riders in the race are working together infront it may defeat that purpose.
So what is the most epic win you ever saw? Because in almost 30 years, I fail to see other MSR edition as good as this one.
But this is true of many races. You could say the same for MdvP's Roubaix win last year. Wasn't he lucky that Pederson and Ganna got punctures?
The descent off the Poggio stood out a lot for me too. He clearly knows that descent like the back of his hand - he seemed to be pushing Pidcock pretty hard, and he's probably the best descender in the peloton.
Berniece
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Last year was a better edition
Yeah, I agree. He’s also been lucky with the bad luck WVA has had during his career
It is pretty clear he worked hard on getting every detail right and learned something through each year.
I think the main differences from last year is his riding on descents, which he has worked on with Bonifazio.
And he had fewer accelerations on Cipressa. More riding a sustained effort after initial attack, rather than stopping to accelerate again multiple times. It might have slowly cooked and worn out MVDP, rather than stopping and going. In 2025 he tried to drop him like 5-6 times. Probably gassed himself doing that. Ganna kept being able to come back etc.
He also made a fatal mistake in 2025 attacking right on the bottom in Poggio last year. Now he more took the lead and drove the tempo up in a sustained way. MVDP had to let go after 20-30 seconds into Poggio.
He was more riding the climbs as one has seen him do in Ronde imo.
I think it's pretty close. Last year we had the novelty of the Cipressa attack, which was insane to watch. The problem was, it seemed too obvious who would win the sprint, so there was less suspense in the final (I think most of us would have predicted the finish order?). This year I really wasn't sure who would win the sprint, and it was also much closer to the peloton catching back on. Both very exciting editions, either way.
As an aside, Remco really should have ridden this. I'm certain he'd have been able to follow on the Cipressa.
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