Teams & Riders Tadej Pogačar discussion thread

[Krzysztof_O]

Now everyone knows that Pogacar wouldn't be doing the Vuelta, but the reality is that last year when he was asked if he would do two GT for another season, he said yes for a few more seasons.

And in an interview from earlier this year, Javier Sola talks about doing the Tour-Vuelta and that Pogacar's next challenge would be to do Giro-Tour-Vuelta in the same year.

Something has changed.

Maybe the Tour was more difficult than they expected. The Tour will be difficult as long as Visma & Vingo are his rivals. He needs a lighter schedule. Without Flandres+Roubaix and Ardennes triple the chances would be higher. Just 3 classics next spring (i.e. Strade + MSR + Liege) would be a more feasible schedule for the double.

 

[Salvarani]

A Vuelta without Jonas, maybe.

Pog has either raced (classics), done prep before Tour, Dauphine and raced Tour... he has been at it for months without hardly any break. Like some dont seem to realize.

Vuelta was always something some people wanted him to... forget about it not being a good idea or smart after doing the above.

They just want this Vuelta win for themselves, rather than for Pog... it has felt like. Obsessed with the idea that he has to win it NOW!

Just enjoy the racing and relax is what I will end it with.

 

[AmRacer]

Maybe the Tour was more difficult than they expected. The Tour will be difficult as long as Visma & Vingo are his rivals. He needs a lighter schedule. Without Flandres+Roubaix and Ardennes triple the chances would be higher. If he races just 3 classics next spring (i.e. Strade + MSR + Liege) then it would be a more feasible schedule for the double.

He will race PR and RVV, for sure. But he could skip Amstel and Fleche.

 

[AmRacer]

Pog has either raced (classics), done prep before Tour, Dauphine and raced Tour... he has been at it for months without hardly any break. Like some dont seem to realize.

Vuelta was always something some people wanted him to... forget about it not being a good idea or smart after doing the above.

They just want this Vuelta win for themselves, rather than for Pog... it has felt like. Obsessed with the idea that he has to win it NOW!

Just enjoy the racing and relax is what I will end it with.

Pogi wants the Vuelta, he says so. But it has to fit in with the rest of the schedule.

 

[Copperberg]

If he doesnt like the atmosphere in UAE he should choose another team of course. A lot of contracts nowadays, soccer, Ice hockey and other sports include a buy out part. I wouldnt be to surprised if Pogacar has that too, only problem would be to find someone rich enough to buy him out I guess...
I think it is a good choice Not to race Vuelta this year, easy course or not. None of us know how bad the crash was. I saw the pic on his swollen knee and I feared that it was fractured.

 

[Salvarani]

Pogi wants the Vuelta, he says so. But it has to fit in with the rest of the schedule.

Yeah, and my whole point since last fall has been it didnt this time.

 

[Salvarani]

Maybe the Tour was more difficult than they expected. The Tour will be difficult as long as Visma & Vingo are his rivals. He needs a lighter schedule. Without Flandres+Roubaix and Ardennes triple the chances would be higher. Just 3 classics next spring (i.e. Strade + MSR + Liege) would be a more feasible schedule for the double.

Agree with skipping cobbles makes most sense if attempting double GT.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

Took a grand total of like 30 seconds of reading Mou's tweets to realize that person is both FOS and a POS.

 

[fenns]

pretty clear now he's not going to get close to Eddy Merckx's numbers

 

[Cycling111]

Anyone with a brain realized he wasnt gonna do classics + Tour and Vuelta, yet some were adamant...

Well, it was his own coach who talked about doing classics in the first half of the season and the Tour-Vuelta-World Championship in the second.

His coach probably knows less and has less brain than the forum members.

 

[pelotonIQ]

Ayuso and Almeida, oh boy. Jonas will slap them around so bad they will forget about 1st overall and fight each other for 2nd and 3rd.

 

[Salvarani]

Well, it was his own coach who talked about doing classics in the first half of the season and the Tour-Vuelta-World Championship in the second.

His coach probably knows less and has less brain than the forum members.

Not how I remember how some been talking, but some here also wrong with every take.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Well, it was his own coach who talked about doing classics in the first half of the season and the Tour-Vuelta-World Championship in the second.

His coach probably knows less and has less brain than the forum members.

Sola is Spanish Fraud Nr. 2 after all.

 

[fenns]

Well, it was his own coach who talked about doing classics in the first half of the season and the Tour-Vuelta-World Championship in the second.

His coach probably knows less and has less brain than the forum members.

And it was on his program until yesterday. All the geniuses coming out now saying it was obvious he was never going to do it

 

[Cycling111]

Ayuso and Almeida, oh boy. Jonas will slap them around so bad they will forget about 1st overall and fight each other for 2nd and 3rd.

Although the route is rubbish, I agree.

I remember last year everyone was saying the Almeida/Yates duo was fearsome, based on what they saw in Switzerland and the Tour, and within a week, UAE was already out of the GC.

With Vingegard, they have even less chances. It's true that Almeida won a stage against him, but we've seen that Vingegaard performs far better in GT than he did the rest of the year.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Cycling111 arguing Ayuso and a bunch of spanish journalists pressured UAE and Pog into NOT racing the Vuelta

mou arguing that the bald guys (Matxin and Gianetti) pressured Pog into racing the Vuelta hence how he acted in the last week and talks of retirement to clap back - wanted to spend time with wifey finally

Im leaning mou on this one honestly.

 

[Cycling111]

And it was on his program until yesterday. All the geniuses coming out now saying it was obvious he was never going to do it

Not only that.

What surprises me most of all is that his coach spoke clearly about this year's program, and that he said the next step would be to do the Giro-Tour-Vuelta in the same year in 2026 or 2027.

I don't doubt he's tired, but as I said, that third-week fatigue has happened to many, and after a few days of rest, they would reflect and make the decision.

In this case, there wasn't even any reflection, and the UAE announced the Vuelta team just 48 hours after the Tour.

Here, we can speculate all we want. But Pogacar, when asked last year if he would do 2GT in other years, assured us that he would, for at least a couple more years.

And his coach was more explicit this year.
But here, everyone knew it, and those who didn't know didn't have a brain, including his coach, the person who best knows Pogacar's body in terms of performance and fatigue.

 

[Cycling111]

Cycling111 arguing Ayuso and a bunch of spanish journalists pressured UAE and Pog into NOT racing the Vuelta

mou arguing that the bald guys (Matxin and Gianetti) pressured Pog into racing the Vuelta hence how he acted in the last week and talks of retirement to clap back - wanted to spend time with wifey finally

Im leaning mou on this one honestly.

That's my personal opinion. I'm not like Mou who claims to have information.

What isn't speculation is what his coach said at the beginning of the year. Pogacar would compete in the Classics and then the Tour-Vuelta.

And in 2026 or 2027, the challenge would be the Giro-Tour-Vuelta because Pogacar was capable.

That's not just someone saying that in a forum; this was said by the person who trains him and knows Pogacar's performance capacity.

Honestly, I'm inclined to believe in his coach.

 

[AmRacer]

That's my personal opinion. I'm not like Mou who claims to have information.

What isn't speculation is what his coach said at the beginning of the year. Pogacar would compete in the Classics and then the Tour-Vuelta.

And in 2026 or 2027, the challenge would be the Giro-Tour-Vuelta because Pogacar was capable.

That's not just someone saying that in a forum; this was said by the person who trains him and knows Pogacar's performance capacity.

Pogi must win MSR and PR next year then.

 

[Salvarani]

That's my personal opinion. I'm not like Mou who claims to have information.

What isn't speculation is what his coach said at the beginning of the year. Pogacar would compete in the Classics and then the Tour-Vuelta.

And in 2026 or 2027, the challenge would be the Giro-Tour-Vuelta because Pogacar was capable.

That's not just someone saying that in a forum; this was said by the person who trains him and knows Pogacar's performance capacity.

Honestly, I'm inclined to believe in his coach. And his coach was talking about doing multiple GTs in the coming years.

Do you have a quote for this? Any source?

Talking about it being possible is different from it making sense schedule-wise or adapting to just what actually happens in a season.

 

[Cycling111]

Not how I remember how some been talking, but some here also wrong with every take.

Sometimes I wonder if you read my messages.

If not knowing that Pogacar wouldn't do the Vuelta is not having a brain, then his coach doesn't have one.

 

[Salvarani]

Sometimes I wonder if you read my messages.

The one who made a mistake, then, is his coach. Pogacar has a serious problem if his coach is so wrong.

You are often wrong and it is a fact.

 

[Cycling111]

You are often wrong and it is a fact.

I referred to what his coach said, not some random anonymous on the internet.

That's not a mistake on my part; that's an objective fact about what his coach said.

And if not knowing that Pogacar wouldn't participate in the Vuelta is a lack of brainpower, then his coach doesn't have one.
In that case, Pogacar has a serious problem.

 

[Salvarani]

I referred to what his coach said, not some random anonymous on the internet.

That's not a mistake on my part; that's an objective fact about what his coach said.

And if not knowing that Pogacar wouldn't participate in the Vuelta is a lack of brainpower, then his coach doesn't have one.
In that case, Pogacar has a serious problem.

Post the source. Because I dont believe most things you say.

You also missed the point of what I said about it being possible and it actually making sense for different reasons.

 

[Cycling111]

Post the source. Because I dont believe most things you say.

You also missed the point of what I said about it being possible and it actually making sense for different reasons.

Again, I'm not saying this, his coach said it.
That this year they would do two training phases, one for the Classics and another for the Tour-Vuelta-World Championships .And that the next challenge would be the Giro-Tour-Vuelta the same year. You can find that out yourself.

I believe what his coach said over Mou or anyone else on a forum. He's the one who knows him best because he's the one who coaches him.

Something else happened, because Pogacar has spoken very highly of his coach and he doesn't seem to be the type to make mistakes like that.