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Teams & Riders Tadej Pogačar discussion thread

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I will be the first here to say that I don't like Pogacar's spring classics program. When they first announced it I was frustrated and disappointed.
What is there for Pogacar to gain in Gent Wevelgem, E3 Harelbeke and Amstel Gold Race? Nothing except a potential crash to ruin his season.
The gap between Pog and Jonas is too small for Pogi to do all these spring classics. I really hope he doesn't regret his choices in July.
Even if Pog wins 8 spring races it would mean nothing if Vingegaard crushes him in the Tour. In the eyes of the cycling world and media Jonas would be the alpha again.
I know that it's fun for Pogi to do Flanders and the other cobbles classics but I think it would be more fun for him to destroy a healthy Vinge in the TDF.

Of course it wouldn't mean nothing, he would become the first rider since Merckx to win three monuments in the same season and with Lombardia later in the season, he would have a high chance of becoming the first rider ever to win four monuments in one season.

Sure, a lot of the media (but certainly not all of it) would consider Jonas the "alpha again" but cycling is much more than the Tour and Pogačar fans like us have to see beyond the Tour otherwise we will not appreciate his career to the fullest.
 
Of course it wouldn't mean nothing, he would become the first rider since Merckx to win three monuments in the same season and with Lombardia later in the season, he would have a high chance of becoming the first rider ever to win four monuments in one season.

Sure, a lot of the media (but certainly not all of it) would consider Jonas the "alpha again" but cycling is much more than the Tour and Pogačar fans like us have to see beyond the Tour otherwise we will not appreciate his career to the fullest.
This. Pogacar is challenging Merckx because he wins monuments and GTs. Only 2 riders have double digits in monuments wins.
 
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But he still is working with UAE. He is coaching Ayuso. Maybe this is the reason Ayuso is not improving.
Ayuso had a great year, he is constantly improving. He at 22 can't be compared to 26 year old Pogacar by years of training and racing alone, but Pogacar is establishing performances that are among best of all time.
Asyuso would be silly to judge himself, let others judge him to bike racing anomaly who is 4 years older. Ayuso is doing great things on the bike. Showing certain fantastic traits like respectable to awesome TT times while still climbing at high level. If you think what Ayuso did in 2024 shows he is flat lined and not on upward trajectory, gotta ask who the reference riders are ..he had a good year..and UAE metrics are fairly clear.. Hirchi, Almeida, McNulty..all 26 years old ..52 wins between the 3 older guys..Sivakov 27 in the mix or a factor, excellent season.. Only serious issue Ayuso faces is unrealistic expectations and listening to anyone saying that 22 is the same as 26..
 
Ayuso had a great year, he is constantly improving. He at 22 can't be compared to 26 year old Pogacar by years of training and racing alone, but Pogacar is establishing performances that are among best of all time.
Asyuso would be silly to judge himself, let others judge him to bike racing anomaly who is 4 years older. Ayuso is doing great things on the bike. Showing certain fantastic traits like respectable to awesome TT times while still climbing at high level. If you think what Ayuso did in 2024 shows he is flat lined and not on upward trajectory, gotta ask who the reference riders are ..he had a good year..and UAE metrics are fairly clear.. Hirchi, Almeida, McNulty..all 26 years old ..52 wins between the 3 older guys..Sivakov 27 in the mix or a factor, excellent season.. Only serious issue Ayuso faces is unrealistic expectations and listening to anyone saying that 22 is the same as 26..
Do you really think Ayuso had a good season? He won Pais Vasco because of that horrible crash. His best GT result was in 2022, there is no sign that he is showing great improvement year after year.
 
How many of these riders accrued their palmeres in 5 years or less? Pogacar only got started as a pro in 2019 and he is still only 26 years old. So his pro career is just 5 years and counting. Only Merckx stands above and if I am not mistaken he just matched Merckx’s best season?
Until the moment. Pogacar can crash tomorrow and end his career or suddendly appear some new guy who wins everything. We don't know the future.
 
Do you really think Ayuso had a good season? He won Pais Vasco because of that horrible crash. His best GT result was in 2022, there is no sign that he is showing great improvement year after year.
I agree. I don’t think he has made many steps since his remarkable Vuelta podium just a few days before turning 20.

It seems like he may already be very close to the finished product which is still a very good rider but likely at most the winner of 1 Grand Tour if the stars align for him.
 
I agree. I don’t think he has made many steps since his remarkable Vuelta podium just a few days before turning 20.

It seems like he may already be very close to the finished product which is still a very good rider but likely at most the winner of 1 Grand Tour if the stars align for him.
He is not a top10 climber in the world. No one would think in 2022 that he wouldn't be a top10 climber in 2024.
 
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How many of these riders accrued their palmeres in 5 years or less? Pogacar only got started as a pro in 2019 and he is still only 26 years old. So his pro career is just 5 years and counting. Only Merckx stands above and if I am not mistaken he just matched Merckx’s best season?
No, he didnt match it mate. He surpassed Merckx's best season in every single metric you can measure in terms of result alone. He literally just finished the best season of all time. And that in a era and modern cycling where its 10x bigger, more profesional and specialized at least.

Taking that into the account its really easy to get how superior he is Merckx in terms of best/strongest its not even a debate.
 
Hardly think its a pro cyclist in the peloton who dont say Pogacar already is the best, lost count how many who say it as the most obvious common thing be it a active rider or top legend its seems like a common thing now.

The torch def already been passed at age 26 is very insane/remarkable but again everyone thinking logically about it what he is doing in what time, where cycling is 5x more competetive in the fashion he does, it becomes very easy and a reason why every legend and rider already say him even tho he is still active and only 26, emotions aside its very easy in fact.
 
No, he didnt match it mate. He surpassed Merckx's best season in every single metric you can measure in terms of result alone. He literally just finished the best season of all time. And that in a era and modern cycling where its 10x bigger, more profesional and specialized at least.

Taking that into the account its really easy to get how superior he is Merckx in terms of best/strongest its not even a debate.
This is true but he still needs palmares.
 
I agree. I don’t think he has made many steps since his remarkable Vuelta podium just a few days before turning 20.

It seems like he may already be very close to the finished product which is still a very good rider but likely at most the winner of 1 Grand Tour if the stars align for him.
To be fair, that podium was anything but remarkable (age aside), it took place on a shitty parcours (compared to that of the Vuelta 2023 for example) and in a very favorable context, Roglic out of shape and crashing out (also Simon Y. out) , Almeida with health problems I think, as always in the Vuelta... His only serious rivals who could finish were Remco and Mas and they were much better. Not to mention that in the stage that Roglic won in the first week, if someone would have push the pace of the group harder in the Herrera climb Ayuso would have lost a lot of time, he was completely at the limit but nobody cared at that time.

For me there is no doubt that in terms of physical condition he was somewhat better the following year, but the competition and the course were much tougher, and I already said at that time that maybe he wouldn´t match the expectations in term of results despite being stronger. I would also say that in the spring races of this year he was clearly better than in that Vuelta podium.

Even so, it is true that compared to others he has made little progress, but in Spain I doubt that this surprises anyone, it has always been said that he was very optimized since he was a teenager.
 
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To be fair, that podium was anything but remarkable (age aside), it took place on a shitty parcours (compared to that of the Vuelta 2023 for example) and in a very favorable context, Roglic out of shape and crashing out (also Simon Y. out) , Almeida with health problems I think, as always in the Vuelta... His only serious rivals who could finish were Remco and Mas and they were much better. Not to mention that in the stage that Roglic won in the first week, if someone would have push the pace of the group harder in the Herrera climb Ayuso would have lost a lot of time, he was completely at the limit but nobody cared at that time.

For me there is no doubt that in terms of physical condition he was somewhat better the following year, but the competition and the course were much tougher, and I already said at that time that maybe he wouldn´t match the expectations in term of results despite being stronger. I would also say that in the spring race of this year he was clearly better than in that Vuelta podium.

Even so, it is true that compared to others he has made little progress, but in Spain I doubt that this surprises anyone, it has always been said that he was very optimized since he was a teenager.
The problem is San Millan said he was similar to Pogacar. He will never match those expectations. Other thing very important is nothing until now was remarkable in his career. If Vuelta podium was not remarkable, Pais Vasco win wasn't too because all favourites crashed out. After Pais Vasco, his season was horrendous. He was beaten by 4th tier stage racers fair and square.
 
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