Teams & Riders Tadej Pogačar discussion thread

[ChewbaccaDefense]

Tadej has a new fan. I just saw his interview where they asked him how great it was that he was the first World Champion who won Strade, and his response was that Lotte Kopecky won last year. That is pure class. Add to that his girlfriend saying that none of this success has gone to his head, and I'm finally convinced that not only is he the most talented rider to ever thorw his leg over a bike, but he is just a great human being.

Not going to join in the "GOAT" brigade, but I will be cheering him on in the future.

 

[2WpK]

He will always have this handicap of being 5-10kg lighter than most PR riders but his aerobic system is also bigger than his rivals and PR is an endurance race.
If it's wet, I will not bet against Pogacar. He is a monster in wet conditions.

I think this thinking that weight has some benefit on cobbles is not as relevant as it used to be due to current use of wide, tubeless tires that can be run at much lower pressures.

 

[Cookster15]

Is it if you are technically gifted though? How many times have you seen really great riders crash out big time at Roubaix? Cancellara, Boonen, MVDP, WVA, etc.

No doubt those you list were technically gifted at riding PR. But others like Stuart O’Grady and Matt Hayman both crashed the years they won.

I have no doubt Pogacar is capable of winning PR but attempting PR this year seems like a lottery and unnecessary risk for a rider currently at the peak of his powers in Grand Tours and who still has time on his side.

ps - I have no idea how to delete below tables on my phone. Was going to list prior PR winners and their weights compared to Pog? If anyone knows appreciate any help? Or send me a PM.

 

[Shortcut]

Tadej has to race Paris-Roubaix this year. Let’s say he has five peak years ahead of him, meaning a whole decade at the top, which is already quite a long time for a cyclist. He might get injured at some point or decide to race the Tour of the Basque Country or the Giro, which would mean riding fewer classics. In his best years, even if he races Paris-Roubaix this year, he might only have around three real chances to win it. That’s very few opportunities for such an unsuitable race for him.
This year’s Paris-Roubaix would also be the only race where he wouldn’t be expected to win. The same could be said for Milan-San Remo, but even there, a second-place finish would feel like a disappointment for him. If he were to finish in the top 10 at Paris-Roubaix, however, that would already be a promising sign for the future, even for him.
Every other race this season (Flanders, Amstel, Flèche, Liège, Dauphiné, Tour, Vuelta, Worlds, Lombardia) will feel like a disaster if he doesn’t win, which is a lot of pressure—even for him. I think this would be the only race where he could actually enjoy himself even if he loses, which is why he is so determined to race it.

 

[kn0s]

I think this thinking that weight has some benefit on cobbles is not as relevant as it used to be due to current use of wide, tubeless tires that can be run at much lower pressures.

I think he will do fine on the cobbles he has shown that before. My doubt comes from the fact that his direct competition can push much greater watts. All the accelerations will push him alot. There is no gradient to push the advantage towards lower weigh. His opportunity is sneaking away at some point, then he will be hard to catch. Group two syndrome could kick in and he wins.

 

[yaf2]

IMO he should win at least 5 (two more) TdFs to equal the official record before he risks injury at PR. First he has to beat Vingegaard in the TdF this year in a fair fight with no excuses.

And I think we need to keep in mind he is much less suited to PR than SB. At PR he will be shoulder to shoulder with riders 20kg heavier than he is. And those cobbles are a bigger deal for lighter riders. If its wet would be unbearable watching.

Current focus must be defeating a fresh and uninjured Vingegaard this year in the rematch of the century. So no PR in 2025. I read today that UAE seems to agree.

Mate vingegaard is fighting for his life trying to win against almeida while saying he has made a step this year. Its over for july

 

[Monsi]

Mate vingegaard is fighting for his life trying to win against almeida while saying he has made a step this year. Its over for july

Kinda unfair to Jonas when we know he absolutely knows when to peak and that’s in July. In 2023, he was getting beaten by Gaudu in Paris-Nice and we all know what happened at the Tour that year.

 

[Cookster15]

Mate vingegaard is fighting for his life trying to win against almeida while saying he has made a step this year. Its over for july

I am a big Pog fan but this seems rather premature. We already know Jonas produced his best watts ever in losing the ‘24 Tour to Pog. But that was despite a very rushed and sub optimal prep after his massive April crash and serious injury. Hence he has to be better this year, both in his absolute peak watts and also not fading in the 3rd week.

 

[Peyroteo94]

Mate vingegaard is fighting for his life trying to win against almeida while saying he has made a step this year. Its over for july

Paris Nice started yesterday with a sprint stage.