Teams & Riders Tadej Pogačar discussion thread

[hayneplane]

Dont think A. Yates will ride Giro with GC ambitions, so it might not be a bad decision.

On the contrary I don’t think he would be riding it without GC ambitions and will go in as co-leader. It might be his best remaining chance to ever win a grand tour.

 

[Peyroteo94]

Yates will be better than Ayuso.

 

[Cycling111]

Yates will be better than Ayuso.

Ayuso is better in the ITT. I don't think there's much difference between them in the mountains.

 

[James M]

He just said the same thing again, which aligns with what he mentioned when the schedule was released—how much he enjoys working for/with Pog.

Almeida is not dreading taking a step back in the hierarchy. "No, I'm actually looking forward to it. It's a pleasure to train and race with Tadej

 

[James M]

At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if he drops Evenepoel in the Tour. Pogacar has a stud like no one else in the mountains, and Almeida is going to be a rich, rich man if he means what he says about he love to work for Pog as much as he describe with how good he’s getting.

 

[Peyroteo94]

Ayuso is better in the ITT. I don't think there's much difference between them in the mountains.

We will see. I'm yet to see Ayuso being good in the high mountains (a stage with multiple long climbs).

 

[Peyroteo94]

He just said the same thing again, which aligns with what he mentioned when the schedule was released—how much he enjoys working for/with Pog.

Almeida is not dreading taking a step back in the hierarchy. "No, I'm actually looking forward to it. It's a pleasure to train and race with Tadej

He said this week he didn't have his best legs and he still won TdR.
I don't want him to leave UAE unless he goes to Redbull. He is not going to beat Tadej any time soon.

 

[pelotonIQ]

Yates will be better than Ayuso.

Either way they will battle it out a la Vine and Almeida in Tour de Romandie.

 

[Peyroteo94]

Either way they will battle it out a la Vine and Almeida in Tour de Romandie.

When do we have the first real mountain stage?

 

[VayaVayaVaya]

Before Sola Pog was getting cooked on the queen stages with a lot of fatigue. His conditioning was worse, he did very little gym work, he could not handle the heat.
Examples: Ventoux 2021, Granon 2022, Hautacam 2022, Loze 2023.
The eye opener for me was the Giro 2024 Stage 15 where he destroyed the field on a brutal high mountain stage.
Some youtubers did not pay attention to that because of the ''weak field'' but 1 month later they woke up.

He also got dropped on Loze in 2020. Pre-2024, he basically was dominant in cold rain, and on par with a couple others outside of that, exposed on queen stages, with the gaps getting bigger each year. 2024 forward he is better than everyone possibly at everything.

 

[Peyroteo94]

Pogacar is very dominant in any mountain stage since 2022. Only Vingegaard is equal with him

 

[VayaVayaVaya]

Pogacar is very dominant in any mountain stage since 2022. Only Vingegaard is equal with him

He got dropped on the queen stage of the Tour in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.

 

[scribers]

I didn't follow cycling too much before 2024. What was his profile before Sola vs today?
What has changed in his training?

Type or altitude training. Heat training not only for better in hotter weather but also oxygen delivery. Core strength training. Effective gym work. Types of regular training not just focused on zone 2 under the previous coach. He’s added sports psychology. UAE better at nutrition science and marginal details, finally catching op with visma professionally. He’s paying more attention to staff he’s working with at all levels. Tending more to details himself.

In other words. He was doing almost none of that stuff above.

 

[Peyroteo94]

He got dropped on the queen stage of the Tour in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.

I can also say he put 3 and half minutes in a tough mountain stage in 2021 (a rainy stage though). He suffered on Mont Ventoux because of the heat. He was the best climber in the last week.
In 2022, we never know how close he would be to Vingegaard if he wasn't overestimate Roglic and racing like a madman on Galibier.
In 2023, he broke mentally on Combloux. He was worse than 30 riders on La Loze. He also was dropped in a 20 minutes climb and was putting Vingegaard on the ropes in a very hard mountain stage (stage 14).
I think context is important despite also thinking Pogacar took a huge leap in his climbing ability (specially in hot weather).

 

[Oldman]

But Pogacar was going deep to catch Remco with Vingegaard on his wheel. Matteo was nowhere to be seen.

Until he was. Then he went back, picked up Jonas and rode them both back to Pogacar. Everyone else freaked out and the pack reconsolidated.
Tell me how many riders you can name that can bridge to Tadej when "nowhere to be seen", ride with him and then go back and retrieve the team leader. Then ride both of them back to Tadej.

Answer: Not Remco. Not Jonas. Not no one. I'm talking about Matteo's gravel stage, dude.

 

[Peyroteo94]

Until he was. Then he went back, picked up Jonas and rode them both back to Pogacar. Everyone else freaked out and the pack reconsolidated.
Tell me how many riders you can name that can bridge to Tadej when "nowhere to be seen", ride with him and then go back and retrieve the team leader. Then ride both of them back to Tadej.

Answer: Not Remco. Not Jonas. Not no one. I'm talking about Matteo's gravel stage, dude.

Matteo was able because Visma was too strong overall. One time it was Vingegaard who close the gap, the other Laporte, later it was Matteo. You put Pogi with a strong team to help him and he obliterates Visma, Matteo and Vingegaard.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

There were already problems with Ayuso in the last TDF.

Almeida seems more resigned to being a domestique in GT, but in reality, he barely had to work as a domestique last year because Pogacar was far superior, and Yates was the decisive domestique the following stage after Lioran. The day that Pogacar had more doubts and needed the punctual sacrifice of a teammate.

If Yates is fatigued this year and Pogacar has a problem and needs Almeida to do what Yates did, sacrificing time, we'll see if Almeida does it or if problems arise like those with Ayuso.

For Pogacar, having Ayuso or no one is the same. For him is better to have someone of a lower level than Ayuso, since he won't act as a domestique.

Last year, Almeida was fortunate enough not to have to be decisive. If he has to be this year, that's when he'll have to prove he'll sacrifice his chances, and in good shape, not fatigued from competing all the one-week races.

We will see but I'm way more optimistic regarding Almeida compared to Ayuso. I just don't think he has the same kind of ego as the Spaniard. Both he and Yates should be huge help for Pogacar.

 

[Peyroteo94]

We will see but I'm way more optimistic regarding Almeida compared to Ayuso. I just don't think he has the same kind of ego as the Spaniard. Both he and Yates should be huge help for Pogacar.

Ayuso is screwed if he doesn't deliver in the Giro.

 

[Peyroteo94]

Adam Blythe backs Vingegaard to level Tour de France rivalry with Pogacar: “I think they forgot last year, and when Jonas was injured”

Grand Tour season is nearly upon us. In just four days, the 2025 Giro d’Italia will roll out on May 9th, kicking off the summer of elite stage racing that will lead us into July and the sport’s bigges...

cyclinguptodate.com

 

[Cycling111]

Ayuso is screwed if he doesn't deliver in the Giro.

If Ayuso couldn't beat Rogic in the Volta, I don't see how he can do it in the Giro.
I think Ayuso's victory depends on Roglic failing due to one of his multiple crashes.

 

[foxbat]

Ayuso is screwed if he doesn't deliver in the Giro.

i have feeling yates will better than him.

 

[Peyroteo94]

If Ayuso couldn't beat Rogic in the Volta, I don't see how he can do it in the Giro.
I think Ayuso's victory depends on Roglic failing to win due to one of his multiple crashes.

I don't even believe he will be better than Yates.

 

[Peyroteo94]

i have feeling yates will better than him.

I agree. Yates had a very soft spring season to be prepared for the Giro

 

[Cycling111]

I don't even believe he will be better than Yates.

That would be a huge blow for Ayuso.

I think Adam started a slight decline in level last year.
He had a good Tour, but not as good as the previous year, and in the Vuelta, he was far from fighting for the GC.

I don't think Yates be a rival for Roglic in the Giro. And he is worse in ITT than Ayuso. If he finishes better than Ayuso by doing worse ITT, it would be a huge blow for Ayuso.

I think Ayuso's favoritism over Roglic is being exaggerated, but I think he'll be better than Yates this year, from whom I think we'll no longer see his best in GT.

 

[Peyroteo94]

That would be a huge blow for Ayuso.

I think Adam started a slight decline in level last year.
He had a good Tour, but not as good as the previous year, and in the Vuelta, he was far from fighting for the GC.

I don't think Yates be a rival for Roglic in the Giro. And he is worse in ITT than Ayuso. If he finishes better than Ayuso by doing worse ITT, it would be a huge blow for Ayuso.

I think Ayuso's favoritism over Roglic is being exaggerated, but I think he'll be better than Yates this year, from whom I think we'll no longer see his best in GT.

I think he was downplaying his chances.