Teams & Riders Tadej Pogačar discussion thread

[Cookster15]

Pogacar's 2024 is still sinking in with me and he isn't finished by a long shot. Quite incredible really. A phenomenon.

Remember when Vingo defeated him for a 2nd year in a row at the Tour, after he announced he was attempting the double people scoffed and said he wanted to win the Giro because he knew he couldn't beat Vingo at the Tour ? Yes Vingegaard had his crash but we also know he was doing better watts / kilo in the Tour than when he beat Pogacar in 2022 and 2023 (and Vingegaard and Visma also claimed this).

I guess reading that he was destroyed after the Tour shows he is human. But its also noteworthy this year how he has spread out his targets with ample recovery between major targets. Hard to believe its now nearly 8 weeks since he last raced.

 

[Lequack]

And people wanted him to do the Vuelta as well.

 

[Lequack]

The Quebec/Montreal team. Ayuso not looking as pleased.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

@Lequack This is priceless! The image sums up perfectly what most of us think is happening in the UAE team.

 

[Poursuivant]

Is till fondly remember his first ever GT stage victory, in the Vuelta 2019.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqOWaaeqgQk


Last km only

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrBdVrUKkdk


Breakaway

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1YmOJa78YM

GOAT gonna GOAT

 

[Poursuivant]

His first race in a while tomorrow:

Will he win in Quebec?

 

[tobydawq]

@Lequack This is priceless! The image sums up perfectly what most of us think is happening in the UAE team.

But isn't it almost a bit too much on the nose?

It could be fun if they staged the photo, and I don't see the point in publishing it if it wasn't a joke.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

But isn't it almost a bit too much on the nose?

It could be fun if they staged the photo, and I don't see the point in publishing it if it wasn't a joke.

It could've been staged, meh. Would be better if not!

 

[Jan the Man]

Eddy merckx 1972 season

Giro di sardegna
Paris nice
Milan san remo
Liege bastogne liege
Dauphine libere
Tour france
GP du midi libre
GP camaiore
Worlds championships road race
Escalada a montjuic
Giro di lombardia

Also won other not so important races in that season. The best season ever, it's not achievable.

What can we say.....GOAT things.

Very minor point but he actually was second in Paris-Nice to Pou Pou in 1972. Difficult to compare generations and these things are always subjective but if (and it’s a big if) Pog won both Lombardia and WC my view is that this season would surpass the 1972 season.

Of course part of what made Merckx phenomenal is he also had another 4/5 seasons which can be considered in the top 7/8 seasons of all time- between ‘69-‘74 he was insanely dominant and his ‘74 season is not far behind his ‘72 season.

 

[snipeheem]

Eddy merckx 1972 season

Giro di sardegna
Paris nice
Milan san remo
Liege bastogne liege
Dauphine libere
Tour france
GP du midi libre
GP camaiore
Worlds championships road race
Escalada a montjuic
Giro di lombardia

Also won other not so important races in that season. The best season ever, it's not achievable.

What can we say.....GOAT things.

Yeah 100 years ago against farmers

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Yeah 100 years ago against farmers

That would give Merckx the record for being the oldest human in history, thus making him even more of a GOAT.

 

[scribers]

Yeah 100 years ago against farmers

He is the GOAT farmer

 

[Tonton]

And people wanted him to do the Vuelta as well.

True.

With that modern calendar, Vuelta last and the times in between, Merckx would have done it. Hinault too. But no one has done it, it's apparent to me that doing it would have amplified the "D" suspicions. Pogacar would have won this Vuelta by 10 minutes, or on my scale 8 minutes, let's be real.

Having said that, Merckx won 7 MSR, an insane (and not soon to be broken) record: Tadej can do the same in Lombardia., Coppi has 5, Merckx and Hinault 2. He can do 4 in a row and be back for more. Scary....

 

[2WpK]

I read that mou is back on "X". Hope someone with an account can keep us updated on what he is saying.

 

[Sandisfan]

The Quebec/Montreal team. Ayuso not looking as pleased.

With the body language crossed arms defensive pose and dour looking expression my caption at the bottom would "Why the He** am I here!"

 

[Miha81]

With the body language crossed arms defensive pose and dour looking expression my caption at the bottom would "Why the He** am I here!"

And Pog's reaction almost looks like rubbing into Mr. Grinch's nose

 

[tobydawq]

With the body language crossed arms defensive pose and dour looking expression my caption at the bottom would "Why the He** am I here!"

The word dour is used way too little.

 

[Salvarani]

GOAT gonna GOAT

GOAT train never stopping!

 

[Berniece]

Eddy merckx 1972 season

Giro di sardegna
Paris nice
Milan san remo
Liege bastogne liege
Dauphine libere
Tour france
GP du midi libre
GP camaiore
Worlds championships road race
Escalada a montjuic
Giro di lombardia

Also won other not so important races in that season. The best season ever, it's not achievable.

What can we say.....GOAT things.

Merckx apparently never really existed in this topic, it’s a mythical beast that no one here has ever seen

 

[SHAD0W93]

Merckx apparently never really existed in this topic, it’s a mythical beast that no one here has ever seen

What’s better; Marino throwing 5000 yards in a non run first league and defenses allowed to do majority of what they want or Mahomes throwing 5000 yards in a pass happy league with penalties that benefit the offense over the defense.

 

[Rechtschreibfehler]

Merckx apparently never really existed in this topic, it’s a mythical beast that no one here has ever seen

I know video and photo quality isn't that great, but I am sure I've seen one or two pictures and videos of Merckx that were not blury enough to at least verify he wasn't Godzilla. Sure though, we can be not.

 

[Rechtschreibfehler]

What’s better; Marino throwing 5000 yards in a non run first league and defenses allowed to do majority of what they want or Mahomes throwing 5000 yards in a pass happy league with penalties that benefit the offense over the defense.

Riding 6.809,2 km and winning the Giro-Tour double?

 

[SHAD0W93]

Riding 6.809,2 km and winning the Giro-Tour double?

But that’s not the point. We’re comparing two different eras. Merckx rode in an era where what he did was more common and easier to do. Racing changed and what Pogacar is doing in a specialized era that no one has done for a long time is remarkable.

 

[Rechtschreibfehler]

But that’s not the point. We’re comparing two different eras. Merckx rode in an era where what he did was more common and easier to do. Racing changed and what Pogacar is doing in a specialized era that no one has done for a long time is remarkable.

I agree,
in a way my comment, besides being a joke, was also meant to address the incomparability of a lot of these achievements.

When it comes to Marino and Mohomes e.g., the way you frame it Marino sounds more impressive, but than again as I don't know *** about american football (except accasionally watching a bit of the post season), I e.g. have no idea what the context of Marinos passing yards was. What were his teams doing, maybe they exploited something that made passing for them relatively easy in the context of the defenses those years e.g. ? I am interested now as this sounds to be an interesting case for comparison.

 

[Berniece]

What’s better; Marino throwing 5000 yards in a non run first league and defenses allowed to do majority of what they want or Mahomes throwing 5000 yards in a pass happy league with penalties that benefit the offense over the defense.

I find it extremely disrespectful to the other riders from that era as well as Merckx to just go with the narrative that Merckx was the only good rider against farmers.