Teams & Riders Tadej Pogačar discussion thread

[kn0s]

Adding my voice to the chorus. So happy to watch Pogačar win Il Lombardia and super impressed with his 2023 season. RVV remains the high point for me, but also the RR WC bronze.

RVV was something special for sure. WC was more a hold on for dear life race for Pog. Did highway robbery of Mads P at the end also.

 

[Nick2413]

Last 50-60 km of Flandres were ridiculous by Pogacar. First he attacked hard on the penultimate Kwaremont, then together with Vans they closed a substantial gap to a very strong breakaway and at the end he distanced a very in-form MVP with another brutal attack. What a battle of attrition it was!

I almost forgot about Pedersen riding for his life to make it through the final Kwaremont before getting gobbled up

 

[KZD]

I almost forgot about Pedersen riding for his life to make it through the final Kwaremont before getting gobbled up

Pogačar passing through Pedersen on the final Kwaremont like he was some sort of amateur was one of the most incredible scenes of this season.

 

[Mina.S]

Looks like Pog might actually be doing the Giro which is very exciting. Should know in the next few days.

 

[tobydawq]

Looks like Pog might actually be doing the Giro which is very exciting. Should know in the next few days.

Where is this coming from?

 

[CyclistAbi]

Congratulations on winning Il Lombardia for the third time in a row. Harder to win each year as youngsters are getting closer and closer. Rogla had it covered, bar descent. In all seriousness it was a great season as overall and for the next season likely some ideas in regard to GT win(s) should be on the table. So it will be interesting to see if (only) Tour or something else will be at play. Hard to imagine Pogi would skip the Tour. So maybe a double attempt. We'll see.

 

[Mina.S]

Where is this coming from?

Cycling podcast mentioned it on their newest episode but it is being reported he will be at the route reveal in a couple of days. There may be some $$ involved in getting him there and the fact it might fit with his Olympic program.

 

[Rob5091]

Pogacar at the Giro would be fun as Vinge, Roglic & Remco seem to be doing the Tour.

 

[BigCoward]

Giro, Flanders, Liege, WCRR, OGRR, Vuelta, Lombardia.
Easy peasy, and still wouldn't beat Merckx best season

 

[Red Rick]

RCS would probably pay Evenepoel level starting fee just for Pog to show up to the route reveal

 

[OlavEH]

Pogacar at the Giro would be fun as Vinge, Roglic & Remco seem to be doing the Tour.

Nah, not if aren't a Pogacar fan. He would probably dominate completely and win by 5+ minutes.

Rather Remco or Roglic since these two seem a bit more vulnerable in the mountains than Pog. Remco might crack and lose some minutes on a 225 km stage to Livigno.

 

[Cassirer]

I hope he does not do the giro. Would love to see him there obviously, but the two tour weeks were he kept up with vinge were insane and he might still somehow find a way to keep this up for three without mishaps before. I doubt Remco/Roglic are up to push vinge like that.
Giro and Tour might be quite boring if Pog goes to italy.

 

[magliaroz]

Cycling podcast mentioned it on their newest episode but it is being reported he will be at the route reveal in a couple of days. There may be some $$ involved in getting him there and the fact it might fit with his Olympic program.

Pogi will be at the sport festival in Trento, where the Giro route revelation will taka place, but I'm not sure this means anything. He's already been part of the festival before.
Of Course Beppe Conti is praying to every god he knows to send Pogacar to the Giro for years now and Italian fans would go crazy for him. But I really can't see him attempt a Giro-Tour double before winning TdF again first. In general, he seems to like more the idea of racing a bunch of one day races+ 1 GT than do 2 GTs in the same year.

 

[DNP-Old]

Pogacar at the Giro would be fun as Vinge, Roglic & Remco seem to be doing the Tour.

Why would that be fun?

 

[tobydawq]

Giro, Flanders, Liege, WCRR, OGRR, Vuelta, Lombardia.
Easy peasy, and still wouldn't beat Merckx best season

Yes it would.

 

[Rob5091]

Why would that be fun?

Otherwise all the top guys will do the same schedule and the Giro will be just the B-teams. Pogacar's opportunistic style would also fit the normal chaotic Giro.

 

[SafeBet]

Why would that be fun?

It'd be fun compared to the most recent editions of the Giro, that's for sure.

 

[Earns1985]

Otherwise all the top guys will do the same schedule and the Giro will be just the B-teams. Pogacar's opportunistic style would also fit the normal chaotic Giro.

Nahh, if Pogacar will do the the giro 2023 it would just be like a tour 2021. Race decided really early without any compition for Pogacar. So pretty boring.

 

[DNP-Old]

Otherwise all the top guys will do the same schedule and the Giro will be just the B-teams. Pogacar's opportunistic style would also fit the normal chaotic Giro.

Yes, but I fail to see what would make it fun. He would feast on some B and C tier level GC riders on his way to inevitable victory by a margin of minutes.

 

[Salvarani]

I have said he should do Giro next, so I would be happy with that and as someone mentioned it fits well with Olympics next year.

I think spring will look similar to his schedule in 2022. He would have raced LBL also if not for a family situation.

 

[Red Rick]

It fits well with Olympics next year.

Apart from that it doesn't.

Every WC or Olympic RR that is just after the Tour gets dominated by riders who went to the Tour. It was part of the reason Van Aert didn't race the Giro this year.

 

[BigCoward]

Yes it would.

It was a half a joke. The tour does a lot of heavy lifting compared to a Vuelta.

 

[Unchained]

RCS would probably pay Evenepoel level starting fee just for Pog to show up to the route reveal

Interested to see the depth for the Olympic road race w their schedules would assume that all the favorites and everyone else will be able to extensive and detailed course recon..I will not be picking a favorite from this far away or a few days before the race, think that anyone can win.

 

[Salvarani]

Apart from that it doesn't.

Every WC or Olympic RR that is just after the Tour gets dominated by riders who went to the Tour. It was part of the reason Van Aert didn't race the Giro this year.

Ok.

 

[KZD]

I don't think the Giro is a good option next year because neither the Tour or the Vuelta would fit well in Pogačar's schedule.

If he does Giro-Tour he just risks arriving too tired to the Olympic Games and even if he is able to do a little peak for the Worlds+Lombardia, he likely wouldn't be at his best either. He would need to have a very light pre-Giro schedule too.

If he does Giro-Vuelta, he would arrive fresher to the Olympics but as Red Rick says having a Tour in the legs actually helps, at least for the road race. Plus, he would possibly ride Olympics, Vuelta, Worlds and Lombardia in little more than two months which seems just too much.

So next year, it really makes sense only to ride one Grand Tour and for the best rider in the world, who also rides several spring classics, that GT should be the Tour. The Olympics is just the cherry on top.

I think 2025 is the first year where there is a good chance of watching Pogačar at the Giro but that could also depend on the outcome of next year's Tour.