Teams & Riders Tadej Pogačar discussion thread

[Panda Claws]

Can't wait for Froome to return to form so we can have the ultimate mutant v. alien

 

[Lorzenz08]

What a race today.

Now I really hope there will not be any accident until the tdF because I feel like Pogi passed to an other level this year, can't wait to see what he will achieve.

 

[Big Doopie]

In the spring of 1975, Merckx won:

MSR
Tour de Flandres
Amstel
LBL

...and was second by half a wheel at Roubaix to DeVlaeminck (who took an illegal feed just as he was looking like he was getting dropped). Merkx also had a flat with 7 km to go and still came back...

That spring, he also podiumed Paris-Nice and won Catalunya. His worst placing was sixth at Gent-Wevelgem.

If Pog wins Amstel and LBL this spring, he is getting close but still not quite on par...

 

[Cookster15]

Gosh, what a performance from Pogi. Hopefully this is a taste of what’s to come.

 

[Extinction]

Or perhaps Pog is one of the best ever (as Remco may also be). These guys are far far better than the specialists of the past 20 years. This is like having Hinault and Merckx in the peloton at the same time

We're just seeing things as they should be again. For a TdF winner should be able to drop cyclocross world champions.

 

[Tonton]

Perhaps. However the opinion was much the same this time last year, and then… ;-) Riders have different targets. Kudos to him that he is hitting it out of the park so far with his in 2023.

Pog targets every race and attacks everyone .

He blew himself up at last year's Tour, one would like to think that he learned the lesson. But he's so good, he thinks that he can move mountains. His biggest strength may be his weakness,

This forum talked about an attack with 55 km to go. It happened. It was so obvious and everybody knew it. And Tadej Pogacar came through, against two monsters.

He's is on another level. Merckx agrees. End of story...

 

[Extinction]

He's is on another level. Merckx agrees. End of story...

Chapeau today, but he didn't make the difference at MSR. I was somewhat surprised by his dominance yesterday, although being the fastest Ronde ever should have favored a TdF winner over cyclocross champions. Now Liege is looking rather interesting. Yet can he maintain this form? And will he win the Tour again come July? The route does seem to suite him, few TT km and little high altitudine climbs.

 

[Big Doopie]

Pog targets every race and attacks everyone .

He blew himself up at last year's Tour, one would like to think that he learned the lesson. But he's so good, he thinks that he can move mountains. His biggest strength may be his weakness,

This forum talked about an attack with 55 km to go. It happened. It was so obvious and everybody knew it. And Tadej Pogacar came through, against two monsters.

He's is on another level. Merckx agrees. End of story...

hmm. on another level? sure. so was hinault.

but has it crossed your mind at all that we could be so lucky as to have an era with two such talents. what remco did in the second half of last year had only been achieved by merckx and binda. he did it at age 22 (after losing a year to an accident). he won the velo d'or because most believed his achievements were greater...last year.

I have repeated over and over that pog is presently the best cyclist riding today, but to say he is for sure on a different level from a rider younger than him who appears to be almost as precocious seems to be unnecessarily jumping the gun. there is no reason to. just to say that you were right years from now?

for example, pog finishes second in the TDF this year again, while Remco hits all his goals again the rest of the year and reaches 50 wins at an earlier age than Pog, is Pog really at "another level" then?

btw, remco attacks every race as well. they just have different talents.

and to quote freakin' merckx, the very worst cycling prognosticator ever and a grumpy grumpy old man since birth in an attempt to silence debate, is simply ludicrous.

 

[topt]

Chapeau today, but he didn't make the difference at MSR. I was somewhat surprised by his dominance yesterday, although being the fastest Ronde ever should have favored a TdF winner over cyclocross champions. Now Liege is looking rather interesting. Yet can he maintain this form? And will he win the Tour again come July? The route does seem to suite him, few TT km and little high altitudine climbs.

MSR climbs just arent hard enough

 

[topt]

hmm. on another level? sure. so was hinault.

but has it crossed your mind at all that we could be so lucky as to have an era with two such talents. what remco did in the second half of last year had only been achieved by merckx and binda. he did it at age 22 (after losing a year to an accident). he won the velo d'or because most believed his achievements were greater...last year.

I have repeated over and over that pog is presently the best cyclist riding today, but to say he is for sure on a different level from a rider younger than him who appears to be almost as precocious seems to be unnecessarily jumping the gun. there is no reason to. just to say that you were right years from now?

for example, pog finishes second in the TDF this year again, while Remco hits all his goals again the rest of the year and reaches 50 wins at an earlier age than Pog, is Pog really at "another level" then?

btw, remco attacks every race as well. they just have different talents.

and to quote freakin' merckx, the very worst cycling prognosticator ever and a grumpy grumpy old man since birth in an attempt to silence debate, is simply ludicrous.

Remco fanboys are making it even harder to like him, no Remco is not Pog

 

[Big Doopie]

Remco fanboys are making it even harder to like him, no Remco is not Pog

looking forward to pog winning the worlds alone by 2 and a half minutes.

u r correct. Remco is not pog.

and how lacking you are in self~Awareness.

in my post I say that pog is the best current rider. And yet that is not enough for you. He has to be miles better than everyone, and particularly remco. Despite the fact that every quantifiable point system puts them pretty close (despite remco being younger).

so it would seem pog fanboys (or remco haters) are the ones making it very hard to like pog, when they are so dissociated from reality. After all, I said pog was the better rider. But even that is not enough for you. Silly.

 

[Scarponi]

Jonas beating him last year was the best thing to happen to Pogacar. The level of determination to set it right would be through the roof, probably cruised last year sometimes

 

[topt]

looking forward to pog winning the worlds alone by 2 and a half minutes.

u r correct. Remco is not pog.

LOL, the time difference should mean anything ? if they dont chase you time goes up...
I am quite sure THE wonderboy would not win Vuelta if Rogla didnt DNF again; again remco is not the the same cat. as Pog, not even close

 

[VayaVayaVaya]

hmm. on another level? sure. so was hinault.

but has it crossed your mind at all that we could be so lucky as to have an era with two such talents. what remco did in the second half of last year had only been achieved by merckx and binda. he did it at age 22 (after losing a year to an accident). he won the velo d'or because most believed his achievements were greater...last year.

I have repeated over and over that pog is presently the best cyclist riding today, but to say he is for sure on a different level from a rider younger than him who appears to be almost as precocious seems to be unnecessarily jumping the gun. there is no reason to. just to say that you were right years from now?

for example, pog finishes second in the TDF this year again, while Remco hits all his goals again the rest of the year and reaches 50 wins at an earlier age than Pog, is Pog really at "another level" then?

btw, remco attacks every race as well. they just have different talents.

and to quote freakin' merckx, the very worst cycling prognosticator ever and a grumpy grumpy old man since birth in an attempt to silence debate, is simply ludicrous.

This is a strange response to Tonton…who said anything about Remco? But since you brought him up, Remco is undoubtedly a phenom, but at this point in time the palmares are:

2 x Tour
9 Tour stage wins
2nd in Tour
3rd in Vuelta at age 20
1 x P-N
1 x T-A
3 Vuelta stage wins
4 x monuments

vs.

1 x Vuelta
2 stage wins
1 x Monument
1 x WCRR

You’re right, by the end of the season things may well look different, but at this point in time Pogi stands at the top.

EDIT: Saw your follow up. Fair enough.

 

[Big Doopie]

This is a strange response to Tonton…who said anything about Remco? But since you brought him up, Remco is undoubtedly a phenom, but at this point in time the palmares are:

2 x Tour
9 Tour stage wins
2nd in Tour
3rd in Vuelta at age 20
1 x P-N
1 x T-A
3 Vuelta stage wins
4 x monuments

vs.

1 x Vuelta
2 stage wins
1 x Monument
1 x WCRR

You’re right, by the end of the season things may well look different, but at this point in time Pogi stands at the top.

as he did this exact time last season.

and I just posted twice that I too think he stands atop. It’s the claims that he is in another league altogether that is plain silly…

also, if they both keep winning as they are, pogs overall palmares will always have a little more, so not really the right comparison at this point given the difference in age and remco’ s lost year. And nice job leaving out two crushing solo wins in San Sebastián, his numerous world TT medals, and remco’ s world stage race wins. Somewhat selective don’t you think?

the fact is, if remco stays healthy he could be faster to 50 wins than Pog was…so to say pog is in a league of his own is simply not close to being factual.

 

[VayaVayaVaya]

I limited to the top races (GTs, top 7 1-week stage races, Monuments), which are what really define your palmares wouldn’t you agree? I could have said San Sebastián but then I would have needed to add Strade Bianche for Pog and so on. No conspiracy to make Remco look bad here. I think we’re on the same page I just don’t think posters need to put asterisks* beside Pogi praise.

e.g., Pogi is next level.*

**Except for maybe Remco, who is younger and thus might catch up and surpass Pogi down the line

 

[Gargamel35]

Who cares about Remco? Fanboys storm another thread with this guy who can't even beat the other much older Slovenian.

Pog is on a completely other level.

 

[Oldermanish]

Yeah, he’s got some way to go to match Remco.

I think he was talking about Eddy.

 

[Oldermanish]

I limited to the top races (GTs, top 7 1-week stage races, Monuments), which are what really define your palmares wouldn’t you agree? I could have said San Sebastián but then I would have needed to add Strade Bianche for Pog and so on. No conspiracy to make Remco look bad here. I think we’re on the same page I just going think posters need to put asterisks* beside Pogi praise.

e.g., Pogi is next level.*

**Except for maybe Remco, who is younger and thus might catch up and surpass Pogi down the line

Let's not diminish and amazing performance and season so far with a reality not established. It hasn't even been a close comparison and again, Remco would have to agree.

 

[Extinction]

MSR climbs just arent hard enough

Evidently not so for MvdP.

 

[Extinction]

Pog is on a completely other level.

Well then, Liege should prove your point.

 

[Gargamel35]

Well then, Liege should prove your point.

Pogs palmares prove a point. As a whole package cyclist, he's nr. 1. There is no one else on his level.

 

[Extinction]

Let's not diminish and amazing performance and season so far with a reality not established. It hasn't even been a close comparison and again, Remco would have to agree.

He wasn't diminishing an amazing performance, which he didn't even bring up, but just warned against overzealous praise (not about his feat yesterday, but his supposed unmatched superiority to all).

Even here you do it again ("hasn't even been a close comparison"). There hasn't been anything to compare, as two entirely different early season aims and approaches. As I've written previously, the first opportunity for a direct comparison will be Liege and then, unfortunately only indirectly, we can compare their respective performances in their GT objectives. In the late season, there shall be Worlds and Lombardia to go on directly again.

Last year Pog came out swinging early and
already showed he was strongest in the Ronde, but the race wasn't ridden overall as hard as this year's edition, which gave him the chance to definitively drop MVDP (I was only half-kidding that a TdF winner should drop a cyclocross champion, because in such circumstances the GT engine should trump the one-day specialist). But he then got beaten at the Tour, wasn't good at San Sebastian (still recovering from the Tour) and the Worlds RR.

The season is long and only at the end will we get the full picture.

 

[Extinction]

Pogs palmares prove a point. As a whole package cyclist, he's nr. 1. There is no one else on his level.

So you are saying if he loses Liege it doesn't matter. Got it...

 

[Krzysztof_O]

As for Pog vs Remco to me Pog is the best cyclist I've ever seen. However, Remco is a prodigy as well. Time will tell if I'm right but I'll repeat it again: it almost feels like modern versions of Merckx and Hinault arrived in the same generation, we may not see something like this ever again.