Teams & Riders Tadej Pogačar discussion thread

[Tinnekeisabella]

What do they see in him?

A winner

It seems he just feels very well in the team and that seems like very important to him.

Before UAE he rode with one youth club, so he might like the stability.

I wonder if we might see more slovenian riders coming in to support him (Jerman?)?

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Risky business from UAE. He couldn't catch some unidentifiable rider on a climb just a few days ago. He is clearly already in decline.

 

[OlavEH]

Tadej extended his contract with UAE until 2026!

Not good. That implies that these completely charmless Arab team plans to stay in the sport for a long time.........

 

[sir fly]

Would've been simpler to offer him an indefinite term contract...

 

[Eli]

UAE surely must be regretting their decision to sign Him to a long term contract now. If you can beat the likes of Alaf and Mdvp then what hope have you got when the true big guns show up for races?

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Good solo victory today and closing to another stage-race victory (and it's still early March). Poga in a very solid form early in the season but I think he still has reserves (so do some of his rivals). It's still early but it looks like another Slovenian duel is on the cards at the TdF.

 

[Lequack]

Awesome win today, just spectacular

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

quite possibly the best climber I saw since Pantani.

 

[JosefK]

A year ago, some of us were wondering whether it would be reasonable to expect that Pogi could podium another grand tour in the near term. Then he went and won the TDF. And he is looking even better at this point in 2021 than he did in 2020.

 

[Oldermanish]

A year ago, some of us were wondering whether it would be reasonable to expect that Pogi could podium another grand tour in the near term. Then he went and won the TDF. And he is looking even better at this point in 2021 than he did in 2020.

He does have the challenge of leading the TdF. A situation that will allow him less time to rely on Jumbo to pull him around for weeks, save for a TT. That'll be a psychological test with the press in his face, too.

 

[RedheadDane]

Random question. Are there any pictures of this guy - excluding TTs - where he does not have a bunch of hairs randomly sticking out of his helmet? It seems to be kind of his trademark.

 

[Cookster15]

quite possibly the best climber I saw since Pantani.

He's very, very good but better than Contador? Not yet. Don't forget he was dropped in the TdF by Roglic on Col de la Loze. I'd put him on par with Froome at this point but I will admit at such a young age his career trajectory looks ominous.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

He's very, very good but better than Contador? Not yet. Don't forget he was dropped in the TdF by Roglic on Col de la Loze. I'd put him on par with Froome at this point but I will admit at such a young age his career trajectory looks ominous.

Agreed. There have been amazing climbers since Pantani. For example Armstrong (not even a climber but great ascent speed), Heras, Contador, Froome. Poga is already one of the best but I wouldn't put him ahead of those - but I've never seen a 22 yo so strong in the mountains and GTs. Schleck and Ullrich were great at the age of 22/23 but Poga was already an accomplished GT rider before he turned 22.

 

[Põhja Konn]

He does have the challenge of leading the TdF. A situation that will allow him less time to rely on Jumbo to pull him around for weeks, save for a TT. That'll be a psychological test with the press in his face, too.

Ability to handle completely different level of expectations and day-to-day media attention is certainly a question yet to be answered for him, although early signs are good. When it comes to race dynamics I'm not at all sure that Jumbo can resist the urge to control and dictate the tempo like last year. In Paris-Nice at least they have continued to follow the familiar pattern.

 

[Roku]

IMHO he is the biggest talent since Contador, and he will probably outperform him. He reminds me to Contador in his racing & attacking style. Excellent climber, very good time triallist. He is skilled enough to avoid major crashes, good positioning and understanding of the race (he is usually good in echelons).

(I don't factor Evenepoel into the mix since he is out of this planet.)

 

[Netserk]

Peak Pogi is faster than any Froome or Contador. Not as fast as peak Lance, yet.

 

[gregrowlerson]

It is difficult to know what will happen. Until he does it again, he isn't that much different to Bernal from a year earlier. I mean, people were probably talking about Bernal 12 months ago, in a similar way to Pogacar now. I know that the Slovenian's level appears higher, but the peloton has gotten faster in general; I'm not sure if Pogacar in the last 12 months has been anymore dominant than Bernal (when compared to their rivals) was in the season before that.

 

[Offline]

Imagine how good Pogacar would be with a team.
Again yesterday - embarrassing how bad the team around him is.
On paper good, but riders like Formolo and Majka are a shadow of themself.
UAE has had time finding good solid domestiques..

 

[Extinction]

These are the important times for Prati di Tivo as reported in la Gazzetta dello Sport this morning:

Nibali 2012: 38:58
Froome 2013: 38:23 (Nibali: 38:33 in 3rd)
Pogacar 2021: 36:07 (Nibali: 37:33 in 16th)

Apart from the fact that Pogacar smashed Froome's 2013 time (the year he would go on to "vroom, vroom" up Mont Ventoux at the Tour), even Nibali's time for 16th place yesterday was better than Froome in 2013. What does it mean? The level of performance by the 22 year-old Slovenian is just extra-terrestrial (as it used to be said in the 90s) and that the top riders are all riding considerably faster.

 

[RedheadDane]

Organisers: So, how many jerseys do you want to win in this race?

Pogacar: Yes!

 

[Krzysztof_O]

It is difficult to know what will happen. Until he does it again, he isn't that much different to Bernal from a year earlier. I mean, people were probably talking about Bernal 12 months ago, in a similar way to Pogacar now. I know that the Slovenian's level appears higher, but the peloton has gotten faster in general; I'm not sure if Pogacar in the last 12 months has been anymore dominant than Bernal (when compared to their rivals) was in the season before that.

Pogacar has raced only two GTs so far but won 6 difficult stages (some of them in absolutely devastating fashion). Regardless of his uphill speed his GT performances have been more impressive than Bernal's TdF, plus he's a superior TT-ist of course. I've never seen such a strong 22-yo GT racer. Evenepoel may follow his footsteps though.

 

[Sciatic]

Pogacar has raced only two GTs so far but won 6 difficult stages (some of them in absolutely devastating fashion). Regardless of his uphill speed his GT performances have been more impressive than Bernal's TdF, plus he's a superior TT-ist of course. I've never seen such a strong 22-yo GT racer. Evenepoel may follow his footsteps though.

We may not have seen such strong GT performances from 22year olds, but until recently the teams of elite 22year olds held them back from being leader at GTs.

 

[Offline]

Imagine how good Pogacar would be with a team.
Again yesterday - embarrassing how bad the team around him is.
On paper good, but riders like Formolo and Majka are a shadow of themself.
UAE has had time finding good solid domestiques..

Okay respect, Formolo!

 

[Krzysztof_O]

We may not have seen such strong GT performances from 22year olds, but until recently the teams of elite 22year olds held them back from being leader at GTs.

For a reason, 22 yo cyclists are usually not strong or consistent enough to win a GT. Not a long time ago 22 yo guys were only learning how to ride in the peleton. What Pogacar or Evenepoel are doing is not normal by any means. They are phenoms.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Too early, Dekker.

Is he already better than peak Contador and Froome? Id still take 2009 Contador over him, I think. And winning 7 TdFs in the manner Armstrong did, you cant really put Pogi above than either IMO. Not like Lance defended in the mountains, at least not the first mountain range.