Teams & Riders Tadej Pogačar discussion thread

[Peyroteo94]

I think it requires perfect positioning and extreme effort to outsprint the field

Pogacar is world class in both of those qualities

 

[scribers]

I trust UAE understands perfectly what the efforts cost in pure numbers terms and can weigh a calendar against previous results to maximize his potential without running over. It's like the article above, UAE never seriously even entertained the idea of him riding the vuelta. And I trust they will figure out exactly what he can do in a season with only adding maybe a little more to see how he responds.

 

[2WpK]

I don’t really buy that narrative. I don’t think it’s any worse of a risk than any other race especially after what we’ve been seeing lately. It’s a race he may need a few tries at due to luck and not necessarily being the absolute best at it, I’d start making attempts now.

PR is not a race you just enter and win. Not even for the great Pog. A rider has to commit to a cobbles program that spring. Lots of risk.

 

[Peyroteo94]

PR is almost impossible for Pogacar just like MSR because he needs to drop everyone in order to win the race. If he can't drop everyone, he will probably lose in a sprint.

 

[scribers]

PR is a pure wattage race and hope you don’t crash. MSR is more a combination of factors that cannot be planned for plus watts

 

[hayneplane]

Flèche is a tough race for him to win again. It’s a flat out sprint to the top and he exerted quite a lot to win it his only time, to my eyes

Yeah even in a heavily depleted field he didn’t win comfortably and it is the race least suited to him of those well in his range.

 

[hayneplane]

PR is not a race you just enter and win. Not even for the great Pog. A rider has to commit to a cobbles program that spring. Lots of risk.

I don’t see it. For Flanders the build up races are like mini versions covering many of the same roads and cobbled hills but there is no real prep race for Paris-Roubaix to experience the parcours in racing conditions.

 

[Peyroteo94]

Pogacar needs to drop MVP and WVA in PR. I don't know where he will be able to do that.

 

[scribers]

Wattage

 

[Peyroteo94]

Wattage

He doesn't have the watts, he has w/kg, not sheer power.

 

[scribers]

It’s not a sprint or a drag. It’s a very long race of attrition that’s rarely won by accident. It’s lost by accident all the time

 

[Peyroteo94]

It’s not a sprint or a drag. It’s a very long race of attrition that’s rarely won by accident. It’s lost by accident all the time

So do you think he can win by dropping everyone?

 

[scribers]

I do. There’s examples of this. Hinault. It’s all about the engine.

 

[Peyroteo94]

I do. There’s examples of this. Hinault. It’s all about the engine.

Hinault raced in an era where we didn't have specialization. I have a really hard time seeing WVA and MVP being dropped by Pogacar.

 

[scribers]

Pidcock fared well

 

[Peyroteo94]

Pidcock fared well

Did he win or was close to win?

 

[scribers]

He did a top ten ride. Little guy. No prep. Just showed up and rode it

This isn’t a road race. And it doesn’t require mountains for smaller guys to win. Just requires big engine

 

[Peyroteo94]

He did a top ten ride. Little guy. No prep. Just showed up and rode it

This isn’t a road race. And it doesn’t require mountains for smaller guys to win. Just requires big engine

But Wout and MVP also have huge engines

 

[scribers]

Okay. I still feel like we are making progress here. To your ideas, pogi cannot enter the velodrome with wva and or mvp and expect to win. That’s not the race though

 

[Scarponi]

Pogacar vs Little Richie’s ghost on Willunga hill, book it

 

[Peyroteo94]

Okay. I still feel like we are making progress here. To your ideas, pogi cannot enter the velodrome with wva and or mvp and expect to win. That’s not the race though

Pogacar has really a big engine but the other two are 10 kg heavier

 

[scribers]

And that's not a good thing

 

[Krzysztof_O]

I agree with @Peyroteo94 . Pogacar has a monster w/kg engine but two Vans have big pure power and are faster in a sprint. Therefore beating both of them in a flat, cobbled race is difficult. PR has some strong luck factor though (mechanicals). To sum up: Pogacar will have a chance to win but won't be favoured against his top rivals.

 

[AmRacer]

I agree with @Peyroteo94 . Pogacar has a monster w/kg engine but two Vans have big pure power and are faster in a sprint. Therefore beating both of them in a flat, cobbled race is difficult. PR has some strong luck factor though (mechanicals). To sum up: Pogacar will have a chance to win but won't be favoured against his top rivals.

When Pog tries PR, he will gain weigth. That's one reason he won't try it rigth now.

 

[bNator]

I can’t believe people will still claim this nonesense how Pog was fresh after TdF. And how how he made a mistake not going to la Vuelta… Do you guys think he doesn’t want to win all three in the same season? This is Pog - he probably races people in shopping mall escalators. He was either completely drained at least psychologically if not physically or his team (you know, the guys with actual data who know a thing or two about cycling) thought it’s too much of a gamble of draining him…