Teams & Riders Tadej Pogačar discussion thread

[Cycling111]

Nah, he was heavier for PR this year. I'm pretty sure he was at least 66 kg.

That's right. In last year's podcast, he said he weighed more in Flanders 2023.

 

[Berniece]

Why are you guys so obsessed with his weight? Sounds like the pre-TDF Remco topic in here. Had he ever not been at the perfect weight for the race since 2024?

 

[Peyroteo94]

That's right. In last year's podcast, he said he weighed more in Flanders 2023.

He is probably bulkier. More muscle mass to power away on the cobbles.

 

[Peyroteo94]

This guy lives in the wonderland if he thinks he can beat Pogacar. His ego is so big.

Underdog or not, Ayuso bodly throws his name Into the World championship fight: "I won’t settle for silver"

Everyone will be watching reigning world champion Tadej Pogacar and his main challenger, Remco Evenepoel, this Sunday. But there are other contenders, riders hoping to pull off a surprise on the gruel...

www.idlprocycling.com

 

[Lorzenz08]

I'm not feeling very confident for Sunday :/

I feel like his preparation was less than ideal unfortunately

 

[AlpRaid]

he will win by 20 minutes.

 

[Peyroteo94]

I'm not feeling very confident for Sunday :/

I feel like his preparation was less than ideal unfortunately

If it was, we can just blame Pogacar himself.

 

[Cycling111]

This guy lives in the wonderland if he thinks he can beat Pogacar. His ego is so big.

Underdog or not, Ayuso bodly throws his name Into the World championship fight: "I won’t settle for silver"

Everyone will be watching reigning world champion Tadej Pogacar and his main challenger, Remco Evenepoel, this Sunday. But there are other contenders, riders hoping to pull off a surprise on the gruel...

www.idlprocycling.com

He doesn't have any good results in such long races, but he can do really well. He used the Vuelta as training.

He says he feels better than ever. In the Vuelta, he said he couldn't help better because he din´t feel well . But we already saw that he won the stages and used the rest of the stages to train.

The Vuelta has always been considered a race that gets the rider in top shape for the World Championships, and Ayuso didn't do the Tour de France, and he didn't even do GC at the Vuelta.

I do think he's very strong. We'll see what it's good for.

 

[Cycling111]

If it was, we can just blame Pogacar himself.

If the spring Classics and Tour de France exhausted him, you couldn't blame him.
We've seen many cyclists who, after a Tour de France, haven't been competitive the rest of the year, some haven't even competed at all.
If his body can't take it anymore, you couldn't blame him for that.

I think Paris stage reflected that this combination of the Classics and the Tour de France is very tough. Van Aert hasn't beaten anyone like that this year. I think it was Pogacar who was exhausted, more than Van Aert being in his best.

People aren't aware of what it means to include Roubaix in the calendar. For one thay there's a very tough training change, and he maintained his shape since San Remo until Liège.
He could have won Paris-Nice and Romandie at his 60% shape, but he needed all his strength to compete in Paris-Roubaix
The madness of that calendar is underestimated.

If that's the reason, we can't blame him . If he wins the World Championship and Lombardia, I'll rate it as more difficult than last year. 2025 season until the Tour more demanding than 2024.

 

[Peyroteo94]

He doesn't have any good results in such long races, but he can do really well. He used the Vuelta as training.

He says he feels better than ever. In the Vuelta, he said he couldn't help better because he din´t feel well . But we already saw that he won the stages and used the rest of the stages to train.

The Vuelta has always been considered a race that gets the rider in top shape for the World Championships, and Ayuso didn't do the Tour de France, and he didn't even do GC at the Vuelta.

I do think he's very strong. We'll see what it's good for.

Oh please. His ego is bigger than his legs. I'm pretty sure he will not make the top10.

 

[Peyroteo94]

If the spring Classics and Tour de France exhausted him, you couldn't blame him.
We've seen many cyclists who, after a Tour de France, haven't been competitive the rest of the year, some haven't even competed at all.
If his body can't take it anymore, you couldn't blame him for that.

I think Paris stage reflected that this combination of the Classics and the Tour de France is very tough. Van Aert hasn't beaten anyone like that this year. I think it was Pogacar who was exhausted, more than Van Aert being in his best.

People aren't aware of what it means to include Roubaix in the calendar. For one thay there's a very tough training change, and he maintained his shape since San Remo until Liège.
He could have won Paris-Nice and Romandie at his 60% shape, but he needed all his strength to compete in Paris-Roubaix
The madness of that calendar is underestimated.

If that's the reason, we can't blame him . If he wins the World Championship and Lombardia, I'll rate it as more difficult than last year. 2025 season until the Tour more demanding than 2024.

Oh please, he had a rough 2023 after his broken wrist and still fought back to win a 3rd GdL.

 

[Lorzenz08]

Oh please, he had a rough 2023 after his broken wrist and still fought back to win a 3rd GdL.

And WC Bronze medal 2 weeks after TdF

 

[HashRouge]

Oh please. His ego is bigger than his legs. I'm pretty sure he will not make the top10.

You seem to have gone from his biggest fan to his biggest hater since Sunday. I don't understand this mentality at all. I've never anything from him that suggests he just expects to turn up and win the RR without any difficulty at all.

 

[Berniece]

You seem to have gone from his biggest fan to his biggest hater since Sunday. I don't understand this mentality at all. I've never anything from him that suggests he just expects to turn up and win the RR without any difficulty at all.

I think he means Ayuso

 

[Jan the Man]

Re Ayuso - I don’t see an issue with his attitude re this race. He is in it to win it, not ride for silver. I agree his odds of winning are remote having never really shown much in a one day race over this distance and I cannot personally see it, but not sure why he should be criticised for overt confidence.

 

[Cycling111]

Re Ayuso - I don’t see an issue with his attitude re this race. He is in it to win it, not ride for silver. I agree his odds of winning are remote having never really shown much in a one day race over this distance and I cannot personally see it, but not sure why he should be criticised for overt confidence.

If they consider Pogacar, the most winner, arrogant for saying he'will train two tough training sessions, imagine Ayuso, who hasn't won that much 😅.

Ayuso's ego problem has been seen in other circumstances.

 

[Peyroteo94]

You seem to have gone from his biggest fan to his biggest hater since Sunday. I don't understand this mentality at all. I've never anything from him that suggests he just expects to turn up and win the RR without any difficulty at all.

Dude, I was talking about Ayuso...

 

[Berniece]

If they consider Pogacar, the most winner, arrogant for saying he'will train two tough training sessions

Who exactly has called Pogacar arrogant? I haven’t seen anyone say that in the past few days. What I have noticed is that you’ve been making these kinds of statements quite often, framing it as if everyone is against Pogacar and judging him by different standards than other riders. To me, that comes across as a bit of a “Calimero complex.”

 

[CyclistAbi]

Pogi is a bit cocky and rightfully so.

 

[Jan the Man]

I think sometimes people conflate confidence with arrogance - there is nothing at all wrong with confidence. You can be confident but humble and respectful.

Pogacar and Remco should be inherently very confident. It would be odd if an elite cyclist was not confident.

Likewise there is nothing wrong with Ayuso being confident and backing his own abilities - even if posters think that confidence is misplaced.

 

[Cycling111]

Dude, I was talking about Ayuso...

Well, you also think Pogacar is being arrogant 😅

 

[Peyroteo94]

I think sometimes people conflate confidence with arrogance - there is nothing at all wrong with confidence. You can be confident but humble and respectful.

Pogacar and Remco should be inherently very confident. It would be odd if an elite cyclist was not confident.

Likewise there is nothing wrong with Ayuso being confident and backing his own abilities - even if posters think that confidence is misplaced.

This is not even debatable IMO. It's hard for me to call a rider confident when he never showed anything relevant in a one day race (Ardennes, monuments, WC, OC). So if this rider says something like "I see myself in the rainbow jersey", this is not confidence, this is just his ego talking louder once again.

 

[Peyroteo94]

Well, you also think Pogacar is being arrogant 😅

Yes but I already explained why. Pogacar said he would be slightly better if he went to altitude but he didn't go because it didn't fit in his schedule.
For me this is pure BS and he just wanted to stay at home/close to his partner. It's okay but don't lie. Mental freshness is important.
Why arrogance? He didn't make a sacrifice to be at his best. Does anyone think Pogacar would not do a altitude training camp for the Tour? Does he want to? Of course not, but he made that sacrifice to be at his best.

 

[Salvarani]

It is not arrogant to show up to try and win a race, despite not being optimally prepared for it.

He has targeted classics, Dauphine and Tour. Then had to take a break to recover. He is human and the pressure he is constantly under surely takes it toll both mentally/physically.

Of course, he would like to win the WC again and Lombardia before the season is over. He will give it his best effort and surely still has a very good chance to win. Nobody is desputing that.

However, if he doesnt... it is not the end of the world.

Only a few are saying he will crush and "should" win by several minutes. I find it particularly interesting to read that from some experts. No doubt that Pog is amazing and could win, no shock if he does, but the chance is much lower in reality than what they are trying to build-up. I think from some experts that is simply done to be able to say "well, I was right" or be very gleeful and happy if it doesnt happen, after days/weeks of saying there should be no contest and whatnot. They know it is not going to be that easy.

 

[Peyroteo94]

It is not arrogant to show up to try and win a race, despite not being optimally prepared for it.

He has targeted classics, Dauphine and Tour. Then had to take a break to recover. He is human and the pressure he is constantly under surely takes it toll both mentally/physically.

Of course, he would like to win the WC again and Lombardia before the season is over. He will give it his best effort and surely still has a very good chance to win. Nobody is desputing that.

However, if he doesnt... it is not the end of the world.

Only a few are saying he will crush and "should" win by several minutes. I find it particularly interesting to read that from some experts. No doubt that Pog is amazing and could win, no shock if he does, but the chance is much lower in reality than what they are trying to build-up. I think from some experts that is simply done to be able to say "well, I was right" or be very gleeful and happy if it doesnt happen, after days/weeks of saying there should be no contest and whatnot. They know it is not going to be that easy.

I think this was clearly to me.
I never said he would win easily the WCRR. For many times this year, I said Pogacar would have a lot of troubles to win because of his weak team. I still think Slovenia can't control the race and most teams will attack before Mount Kigali and Pogacar will be forced to attack from far again and this can make him explode later.

If you are talking about the TT, then you're right (I said he would win easily). Not the RR.