Teams & Riders Tadej Pogačar discussion thread

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You can recap 2021 season with 2 words: Tadej Pogačar

 

[Polarbear64]

http://imgur.com/NHGX7NO

 

[Netserk]

The best racing season that I remember anyone doing and at only 22/23. Congrats Tadej!

Best since Roche. I can't say which of Indurain's 1992 and 1993 seasons was the best, but you could argue they are on a similar level.

 

[Monsi]

Pogacar timed his peak to perfection. What a race by him. He showed he was the strongest in the race. An incredible way to end the season.

 

[Big Doopie]

and there is literally no one close to him when there are successive long climbs. not even rog. and if not rog, certainly not bernal.

 

[BlueRoads]

http://imgur.com/NHGX7NO

Lol, that look on his face was something.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

and there is literally no one close to him when there are successive long climbs. not even rog. and if not rog, certainly not bernal.

Miguel Angel Lopez says hello. A specialist in climbing mamooth mountains with 1500+ meters of elevation gain (also after difficult stages): victories at Loze, Ventoux and Gamoniteiru. Also Roglic beat Pog in Loze and Carapaz&Vingegaard were up there in the Pyrenees. I would say Pog's strongest side are climbs with 500-1000 meters of elevation gain (large but not mamooth). However, Romme+Colombiere combo may as well be counted as one climb (making it huge). Still, too small sample for definite conclusions.

 

[Netserk]

and there is literally no one close to him when there are successive long climbs. not even rog. and if not rog, certainly not bernal.

Like in the Alps of the 2020 Tour?

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Pogacar timed his peak to perfection. What a race by him. He showed he was the strongest in the race. An incredible way to end the season.

Considering he's proven to be able to peak towards a goal, it's baffling nobody was talking about him. He was my personal prerace favorite.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Winning the Tour + 2 monuments in one year is one of the biggest annual feats in recent decades.
Others that come to my mind: Froomey's non-calendar year GT slam (2017-18) was so huge, also Pantani's Giro-Tour double in 1998.

 

[Polarbear64]

Lol, that look on his face was something.

When he kicks ass... he knows it
To note this was after crashing into UAE staff at the finish and then followed by smiling and sticking his tongue out. I'd say he had fun.... and totally wanted and owned this race.

 

[Monsi]

Considering he's proven to be able to peak towards a goal, it's baffling nobody was talking about him. He was my personal prerace favorite.

It was understandable really that he would be downplayed a bit because he was not in his best form in the other Italian classics. Despite that, people still rated him as one of the favorites because you can just never count him out. Glad he was able to peak for Il Lombardia.

 

[Lequack]

What can you even say about this man, just speechless. Watching him race is just a joy, magnificent winner. Chapeau Tadej!

 

[Polarbear64]

Also... betting on a podium baby by next lombardia

 

[Netserk]

I thought he was his own podium baby?

 

[VayaVayaVaya]

Clearly the best all-around cyclist in decades right now. Best classics palmares and best GT palmeres this year. Wow. I’m a Rog and Contador guy but this guy is looking like the best rider in decades.

 

[ebandit]

He is the best rider to hit his peak right in a long time. What a rider. Biggest talent ever?

i'm just a tad young to ever have seen merckx at his best but we're getting a taste with
pogacar

potentially on a different level to all since then...............

Mark L

 

[Lequack]

I guess doing a wheelie at Giro Emilia was a good preparation for Lombardia.

 

[Polarbear64]

UAE women's team?

Just saw this... interesting. UAE finalizing a deal with Urska's old team.... which she may return to because her contract ends with Bike Exchange in Jan....
So looks Like King Pogi might have his Queen join on UAE payroll soon.... along with Hauptman who apparently part of his deal.... gonna assume he'll be running UAE by the end of this.

Would love to know just how much power he has with UAE decisions at this point

 

[CyclistAbi]

Great season and looking forward to the next one.

 

[Axel Hangleck]

Clearly the best all-around cyclist in decades right now. Best classics palmares and best GT palmeres this year. Wow. I’m a Rog and Contador guy but this guy is looking like the best rider in decades.

Best all round 'Road' cyclist. Until he wins an off road World Cup (which isn't going to happen) then Pidcock/ MvdP are superior as 'all rounders'.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Pogacar and Merckx met. The GOAT proclaimed Pogi as "the new Merckx" again.

"I have heard many times 'this is the new Merckx' without the conditions being fulfilled, but with Tadej I think we are really there this time,"

"He is 23 and has already won the Tour de France twice, incredible."

"Tadej is only at the beginning of his career, I think he can do better than me in some races. He is 23 years old and has already won the Tour de France twice and 30 races, that is unbelievable. At 24, I had not even won the Tour. He is still at the beginning of his career, but I think he is doing better than me in some races. He is a great champion and we are going to enjoy him for many years to come."

Most impressive rides:

"I already understood that he had something special when in his first year as a professional he had won three stages at the Vuelta, the last of which attacking 37km from the finish with all the Movistar chasing behind. And then this year at the Tour, in the stage of Le Grand-Bornand, he destroyed all the competition by trimming minutes after minutes..."

Advice from the legend:

"I can only tell him to keep his feet on the ground because every year he starts from scratch and every year he will have to prove that he is the strongest. But he knows this very well, and he has a great team around him who can help him a lot, taking care of everything down to the smallest detail. He is a complete rider, if he remains what we have seen so far he will win many other Tour de France and, obviously, also the Giro d'Italia."

Any weakness shown by Pogacar?

"I think not. He has the mentality and professionalism of the great champion and when you have them you have no weaknesses."

Pogacar said it's impossible to do what Eddy did but he expressed desire to win many races:

"Eddy is a total racer, he has won everywhere. It will be difficult for me to win a Milan-San Remo [once], let alone seven like he did. I certainly like to win, but I also know how to accept defeat. Every race I participate in I try to make my mark, even if it is a simple criterium in Slovenia. But I believe it is in the nature of every cyclist"

"This year I finished third in the Olympics, I would like to go back to win the gold medal. But I'd also like to win a World Championship. And the Giro. And also the Vuelta"

It will spur Remco, won't it? Time to rename this thread accordingly.

Pogacar says 'I'm not the new Merckx' but the Cannibal himself disagrees

Merckx says Pogacar could surpass his career

www.cyclingnews.com

MERCKX E POGAČAR, IN DMT INCONTRO TRA FENOMENI

Eddy consacra Tadej: "Può fare ciò che ho fatto io"

www.tuttobiciweb.it

 

[Skijumper Roglic fan]

I‘m certainly a Roglic fan guy (because he‘s Roglic, the former skijumper; no one is like him), but I also am very much impressed by Pogacar. His palmares is incredible for his age.

Furthermore, he seems to be a nice guy.

What I am most surprised about is his legs. He can climb, timetrial, sprint, and recover like almost no one else, but nevertheless has these „big“, soft-looking legs. These legs look soft, but have the firepower to make him the Nr 1 cyclist in the world...

 

[bNator]

What I am most surprised about is his legs. He can climb, timetrial, sprint, and recover like almost no one else, but nevertheless has these „big“, soft-looking legs. These legs look soft, but have the firepower to make him the Nr 1 cyclist in the world...

His legs are really weird, yes. Most other cylists have “extreme looking” legs - very muscular, lean and defined. His legs look like those of someone who just started cycling and aren’t fully developed yet. The big question is - what happens when Tadej gets proper cycling legs?

 

[Krzysztof_O]

What I am most surprised about is his legs. He can climb, timetrial, sprint, and recover like almost no one else, but nevertheless has these „big“, soft-looking legs. These legs look soft, but have the firepower to make him the Nr 1 cyclist in the world...

His legs are really weird, yes. Most other cylists have “extreme looking” legs - very muscular, lean and defined. His legs look like those of someone who just started cycling and aren’t fully developed yet. The big question is - what happens when Tadej gets proper cycling legs?

Agreed. His legs look unimpressive compared to others. Looking at his legs and face one would think he's an amateur, who still has to lose a couple of kgs.