Teams & Riders Tadej Pogačar discussion thread

[Roku]

I rate Tadej way higher than Roglic. I honestly don't think Primoz can hold his own against Pogacar in a war of attrition like Tirreno 2021 or the usual Giro racing. If they limit the attacks to last 4 kms, sure Roglic stands a chance and can beat Tadej.

 

[Rackham]

I rate Tadej way higher than Roglic. I honestly don't think Primoz can hold his own against Pogacar in a war of attrition like Tirreno 2021 or the usual Giro racing. If they limit the attacks to last 4 kms, sure Roglic stands a chance and can beat Tadej.

And that's where Van Aert will come into the picture, just like in the Tour (i.e. setting an insane tempo & limiting the climb to a final shootout where the guy with the best punch wins). And sure, Pogacar destroyed that final time trial but the climbs were a different story.

 

[tobydawq]

Apparently this year Basque Country has an ITT, actually it might be a TTT which could skewer the results.

What do you mean, it might be a TTT? It isn't...

 

[Big Doopie]

pog should win the TDF fairly easily.

he should be quite a bit better than last year.

and he will have a better team around him.

this is fignon 83-84.

we have to hope that remco comes back fully healthy if we want competition.

 

[Ripper]

pog should win the TDF fairly easily.

he should be quite a bit better than last year.

and he will have a better team around him.

this is fignon 83-84.

we have to hope that remco comes back fully healthy if we want competition.

This is much more than Fignon. This is quantum physics dark matter crazy.

 

[Poursuivant]

pog should win the TDF fairly easily.

he should be quite a bit better than last year.

and he will have a better team around him.

this is fignon 83-84.

we have to hope that remco comes back fully healthy if we want competition.

I think he is the strongest but question marks do remain over his team. If TJV just sit on the front like last year and make tempo regardless of who has the jersey, it will play right into Pogacar’s hands.

 

[Red Rick]

I think he is the strongest but question marks do remain over his team. If TJV just sit on the front like last year and make tempo regardless of who has the jersey, it will play right into Pogacar’s hands.

No chamce Pogacars team will be a major issue come July

 

[Big Doopie]

This is much more than Fignon. This is quantum physics dark matter crazy.

have you watched fignon in 1984. he was playing with the opposition that included hinault and lemond and beat them by over 10 minutes. he was never the same after injury/surgery.

 

[Ripper]

Yes, that was right around when I started to follow bike racing, mid 80's. That was a gong show race, no doubt. TP's trajectory seems more crazy though, of course too early to say for this year's Tour (or if he even races it). TP won last year, and that could be like Fignon's 83. So far TP is killing it this year, so if it stays like this, he could be way stronger the Fingnon's 84.

I more or less agree with you, I just think TP is OTP ahead of everyone else.

 

[Lequack]

 

[Oldermanish]

And that's where Van Aert will come into the picture, just like in the Tour (i.e. setting an insane tempo & limiting the climb to a final shootout where the guy with the best punch wins). And sure, Pogacar destroyed that final time trial but the climbs were a different story.

I partially agree: let Wout freelance with Roglic sitting on Pogacar. Then flip that script and tire the youngster.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

@Lequack , Poseidon is a Slovenian!

 

[Rackham]

I partially agree: let Wout freelance with Roglic sitting on Pogacar. Then flip that script and tire the youngster.

In broader terms who needs Dumoulin when they have Wout? i.e. as I expected a few months back, Van Aert has now entered into the GC game, just as Jumbo did with Primoz a few years back. It's Wout & Primoz versus Pogacar. Fun times.

Pogacar is going to need Hirschi to level the playing field.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

I partially agree: let Wout freelance with Roglic sitting on Pogacar. Then flip that script and tire the youngster.

To make sure the TdF is in the bag TJV should hire Pogi as a domestique. Too bad he's not available until 2027.

 

[johnymax]

I partially agree: let Wout freelance with Roglic sitting on Pogacar. Then flip that script and tire the youngster.

In broader terms who needs Dumoulin when they have Wout? i.e. as I expected a few months back, Van Aert has now entered into the GC game, just as Jumbo did with Primoz a few years back. It's Wout & Primoz versus Pogacar. Fun times.

Pogacar is going to need Hirschi to level the playing field.

But what about Kruijswijk? When does he enter in the game?

 

[johnymax]

To make sure the TdF is in the bag TJV should hire Pogi as a domestique. Too bad he's not available until 2027.

He'll become Kuss' domestique then, when Sepp becomes a monster TTer.

Ups, wrong thread

 

[Oldermanish]

But what about Kruijswijk? When does he enter in the game?

He's been in the limelight. I don't think he's quite quick enough to manage the tight GT stage finishes we're seeing. His climbing style is also alot of work compared to Roglic, Pogi, Hirschi, Bernal, Carapaz....If he were in the fore of a Jumbo GT effort I don't see him on a podium.

 

[Roku]

In broader terms who needs Dumoulin when they have Wout? i.e. as I expected a few months back, Van Aert has now entered into the GC game, just as Jumbo did with Primoz a few years back. It's Wout & Primoz versus Pogacar. Fun times.

Pogacar is going to need Hirschi to level the playing field.

IMHO he has to make another step forward in order to enter GC game in GTs. Up to now, he has proven ability in 1 week racing, but he has to contend in multi-mountain stages while being a captain or at least a protected rider.

It is a totally different game playing domestique and give your all until 5 kms to give your maximum day by day during three weeks and being the leader, especially when reaching succesive multi-mountain stages.

As of now, if he loses 45 seconds to Pogacar in Prati di Tivo and arrives with Fabbro, Carr, Fuglsang he is far from being a threat to Tadej.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Next week Tadej is looking to extend his stage race winning streak of 3 (TdF, UAE, TA). Since joining the world tour he's won 50% of stage races he entered (6/12).

 

[johnymax]

It's over for him I think. He's clearly started declining. It's Quintana and Bernal all over again, peak at 22.

On a more serious note, his peak form might be on a decline. Don't forget his first peak was supposedly at UAE Tour, a month and a half ago. He held his form during T-A but with the Italian stage race being so demanding, maybe he is feeling a bit tired. We'll know more in the next days for sure. I expect him to go strong, but I think both Roglic and Yates are up to the task.

It will be interesting to see also with a look ahead to the Ardennes classics. His teammate Hirschi looks like he's coming into form nicely. Let's see if Tadej can also be a player there.

 

[Pinot's goat]

It's over for him I think. He's clearly started declining. It's Quintana and Bernal all over again, peak at 22.

On a more serious note, his peak form might be on a decline. Don't forget his first peak was supposedly at UAE Tour, a month and a half ago. He held his form during T-A but with the Italian stage race being so demanding, maybe he is feeling a bit tired. We'll know more in the next days for sure. I expect him to go strong, but I think both Roglic and Yates are up to the task.

It will be interesting to see also with a look ahead to the Ardennes classics. His teammate Hirschi looks like he's coming into form nicely. Let's see if Tadej can also be a player there.

He looked tired at the Worlds last year then Liege happened, I wouldn't be surprised if he can be close to his peak the rest of Itzulia and the Ardennes.

 

[tobydawq]

He looked tired at the Worlds last year then Liege happened, I wouldn't be surprised if he can be close to his peak the rest of Itzulia and the Ardennes.

I don't think he looked tired, he just rode really stupidly. He had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to win the Tour and become world champion within a week and then he chose to do an impossible solo attack on the penultimate lap.

 

[Pinot's goat]

I don't think he looked tired, he just rode really stupidly. He had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to win the Tour and become world champion within a week and then he chose to do an impossible solo attack on the penultimate lap.

I thought he attacked because he was tired so he could help Roglic by making the race harder before blowing up.

 

[Escarabajo]

He looked tired at the Worlds last year then Liege happened, I wouldn't be surprised if he can be close to his peak the rest of Itzulia and the Ardennes.

He looked tired towards the end of the Tour and then the TT happened.

 

[johnymax]

I thought he attacked because he was tired so he could help Roglic by making the race harder before blowing up.

Yes, they decided Roglic was feeling better that day, so he was the chosen one to follow/battle with the favourites in the last lap. They wanted for someone to follow Pogačar though, so the group could have had a higher probability to stick till the finish. But nobody went with Pogi so the move was destined to fail.

Edit:
Or should I say "feeling less tired".