• The Cycling News forum is looking to add some volunteer moderators with Red Rick's recent retirement. If you're interested in helping keep our discussions on track, send a direct message to @SHaines here on the forum, or use the Contact Us form to message the Community Team.

    In the meanwhile, please use the Report option if you see a post that doesn't fit within the forum rules.

    Thanks!

Teams & Riders Tadej Pogačar discussion thread

Page 61 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
He's ready for TdF.

I give Pog 40% chances of winning the Tour and another 60% for the rest of the field ( Roglic 20%, Carapaz 15%, Uran 10%, Padun 5%, Thomas 5%, other 5%). I think Roglic may be closer but as far as he's hiding.... what more can I say.
 
  • Wow
Reactions: Sandisfan
Wasn't he pulled from the Giro - and a chance to ride for his own GC - specifically to go to the Tour?
He was pulled from the Giro squad selection, not from the Giro.

I'm eager to see what they have planned for McNulty. Not convinced he'll be a big help in the mountains, but he could be of help in hilly stages, or he could go for a stage. Or they could try and get him ready for the Vuelta. He started the season very strong but after his demise in Pais Vasco we haven't seen a lot of him anymore.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sandisfan
He was pulled from the Giro squad selection, not from the Giro.

I'm eager to see what they have planned for McNulty. Not convinced he'll be a big help in the mountains, but he could be of help in hilly stages, or he could go for a stage. Or they could try and get him ready for the Vuelta. He started the season very strong but after his demise in Pais Vasco we haven't seen a lot of him anymore.

McNulty should still be quite a capable 3rd mountain domestique though. Majka will likely be the last left with Pogacar and Formolo/De La Cruz as 2nd last, leaving McNulty as 3rd last. He should be able to contribute in that role I'd imagine, along with hilly stages and flat help if Pogacar is distanced somewhere due to crosswinds or an untimely mechanical
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sandisfan
Should they? Will they?

I know it's not really comparing like-with-like since Roglic and VanAert have been pretty much in hiding since the Ardennes, and Dumoulin is only now back on the road, but J-V's support crew, ie the guys that they'll be relying on to get Primoz to the crucial points in the race, haven't been exactly lighting fires since. All the while, Ineos, UAE, Bahrain, Movistar, even EF and ISN have been picking up GC results, or at least a few mountain stage wins.
Well, as with every team at the Tour, Jumbo Visma will have calculated that each rider shows up on June 26 firing on all cylnaders. Of course, there are no gaurantees, as getting it right requires great technical nous and alchemy, but that is the plan. Now, should that happen, then Pogacar will be pressed to produce something extraordinary, which he is quite capable of doing and this would make the spectacle all the more interesting. Ineos should also play a fundamental role in who wins or loses the Tour. I think Thomas is going to perfrom superlatively, whether it will be enough to topple Pogacar remains to be seen. Then there is also Alaphilippe, who may yet cause shockwaves, but he doesn't seem to have the climbing class to pull off the upset.

PS. I neglected to mention Roglic, who naturally will lead Jumbo Visma, has shown he can fight for the win, but will he succeed in pulling it off? At any rate, I'd like to see a peak Roglic against peak Pogacar and peak Thomas (and perhaps peak Carapez). It would be great and almost a vindication for what we did not get to see in 2014 in a battle between Contador and Froome.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Sandisfan
Pogacar looks ominous for the TdF. Roglic will obviously be a big factor with a still strong JV behind him. But what I want to see is some discussion if Ineos can doing anything to offset these two? They have Thomas, Carapaz, Porte and TGH. But what good is that is you can't keep up on MTFs and TTs? Hopefully it means some courageous attacks and team tactics.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sandisfan
UAE is weak in crosswind.

Trentin is one of the worlds best crosswind riders. Kristoff's stamina is amazing but he never been so good in crosswind.

Besides that, Trentin can climb a bit too.

I would bring Trentin everyday!
Fair enough. I'd rather be hiding behind Kristoff all day, than Trentin. Don't know if Trentin being able to get over weak mountains would really be consequential. But i get what you're saying.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sandisfan
There's one reason I'd bring Hirschi and that's for descents. But he's not even good there this season, as far as I've seen. o_O
But in general it could pay out to have a world class descender in front of you, because I think Pogacar is okay there but not great?

From what I’ve seen he has amazing descending and bike handling skills but had to stick with McNulty at Basque which might’ve been misleading. I do think there’s going to be more complex strategy going on now that he’s a marked man plus with Ineos not having the strongest rider anything could happen, so probably key to have an aggressive descender leading him down.
 
The Babyfaced Assassin needs no team. He'll suck onto the leaders of the Jumbo or Ineos trains, whichever is ahead, ride along in their slipstream, and then crush everyone in the final kilometers of the big hilltops. And no prisoners will be taken in the TTs. It's going to be a beatdown at the 2021 TDF. . . . In the bag. There, I've put the hex on him. :grin:

Last year JV was basically his team. Let's see if he can make Ineos work for him this year.
 
Ya, that's where I'd see him or Trentin. Feels like it suits Kristoff more and he's got plenty of experience so he should be quite decent in a Rowe or Martin like role.
Kristoff is surprisingly bad in cross wind, though. He's not very good at positioning himself either. All in all, not a very good bodyguard type rider. I'd much prefer Trentin in that role.
 

TRENDING THREADS