Teams & Riders Tadej Pogačar discussion thread

[Cycling111]

He was dumb in RVV 2022. He didn't try to drop MVP on Kwaremont but tried on Paterberg. Had he tried on Kwaremont and Pogacar would have won RVV. MVp in 2022 was weak, probably due to back issues (not his 2023 version) that hampered his preparation.

Once again, Pogacar is being underestimated.
It was done after Flanders 2022. It seems easy to say now, but back then most people said that if he didn't win that year it would be impossible.
Roubaix may take him more than two attempts, but if it was so close on the first attempt, we know that Pogacar always does better on the second.

The exception is San Remo; more riders can beat him there, because it's a more predictable rac and
It's not hard. Roubaix is flat but full of hardness.

For me, Roubaix 2025 has been more similar to Flanders 2022 than is believed today..
I think he can winn a peak Van Der Poel in Roubaix; in San Remo, he could lose to Mathews or Ganna, etc.

Last year, Pog said San Remo was the easiest race he'd ever ride.
Yesterday, he said the opposite about Roubaix. They're comparing it to the impossibility of winning San Remo because it's a flat race, when the important thing is that Roubaix is hard.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

I appreciate your perspective, even if my comments don’t make sense to you — they still represent my opinion. When I referred to the rules, I thought it was clear I meant the specific regulations around illegal feeding, especially since both VDP and Alpecin were heavily penalized for their actions.

As for the grounds for an appeal, as I mentioned, I’m not a lawyer and don’t claim to know the procedural specifics. But from where I stand, it looked like a deliberate breach — done with the calculation that the consequences would be minor. That, to me, constitutes an unfair advantage. It’s breaking the rules on purpose, betting the punishment won’t matter.

So yes, even if it doesn’t resonate with you, for me it’s a question of integrity.

When an illegal act — like feeding in the final kilometers — can alter the very outcome of a race, we're no longer talking about tactics, but about the integrity of the sport itself. Even a two-minute time penalty would have acknowledged the gravity of the infraction. Had VDP not eaten, he might have bonked and lost — a fundamentally different result. If this isn’t currently grounds for appeal, then perhaps it should be. And if it’s not in the rules, then maybe the rules need to change.

OK, if you think that rules ought to change, that is an opinion.

But the notion that UAE should appeal when the maximum sanction under the rules was applied is clearly erroneous. And for you to aggressively demand of another forum user that they read the rules, while giving a very clear impression that you had either not read, or not understood them, really is not reasonable.


I note your failure to retract or apologise for making unsupported assumptions about my opinion on the application of the rules in this case.

 

[Peyroteo94]

Once again, Pogacar is being underestimated.
It was done after Flanders 2022. It seems easy to say now, but back then most people said that if he didn't win that year it would be impossible.
Roubaix may take him more than two attempts, but if it was so close on the first attempt, we know that Pogacar always does better on the second.

The exception is San Remo; more riders can beat him there, because it's a more predictable rac and
It's not hard. Roubaix is flat but full of hardness.

For me, Roubaix 2025 has been more similar to Flanders 2022 than is believed today..
I think he can winn a peak Van Der Poel in Roubaix; in San Remo, he could lose to Mathews or Ganna, etc.

Last year, Pog said San Remo was the easiest race he'd ever ride.
Yesterday, he said the opposite about Roubaix. They're comparing it to the impossibility of winning San Remo because it's a flat race, when the important thing is that Roubaix is hard.

MSR is no longer a tactical race, Pogacar knows the recipe to win. Only MVP can prevent him from winning there.

 

[danielovichdk2]

I wonder how the feel is for Pog in the peloton? At some point other riders must become tired of the terms he sets at every race he joins. Fair game and all, but at some point someone or some team has to stand up and fight it out, all the time, every time.

Boring race. Too many punctures and too much by chance, even though the top 3 still managed to podium.

 

[pastronef]

do you think Gianetti and Matxin will say "ok Tadej you got what you wanted, you raced Roubaix, now let's put down a normal program for 2026. you'll watch it on tv"

 

[Peyroteo94]

do you think Gianetti and Matxin will say "ok Tadej you got what you wanted, you raced Roubaix, now let's put down a normal program for 2026. you'll watch it on tv"

Pogacar does whatever he wants. He will be back next year.

 

[pastronef]

Pogacar does whatever he wants. He will be back next year.

maybe he could race Gp Denain, E3, Gent, skip Flanders, and race Roubaix. in any case I want him to come back and win it

 

[Cycling111]

I wonder how the feel is for Pog in the peloton? At some point other riders must become tired of the terms he sets at every race he joins. Fair game and all, but at some point someone or some team has to stand up and fight it out, all the time, every time.

Boring race. Too many punctures and too much by chance, even though the top 3 still managed to podium.

It's fair to say that in Roubaix they should consider that about Van der Poel, who without Pogacar won by three minutes last year, and yesterday without him, Alpecin would have made it 1-2 with another three or four minutes.

If Pogacar doesn't go to Roubaix next year, they'll have to consider what you're saying with Van der Poel.
And if Pog goes, the rival to beat is the one who has been won for three consecutive years.



In this race they can't blame him for the boredom, without him it would have been an absolute dominance of Van Der Poel 80 km from the finish line.
And Philipsen would have been second. Three consecutive years of 1-2 for Alpecin.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

do you think Gianetti and Matxin will say "ok Tadej you got what you wanted, you raced Roubaix, now let's put down a normal program for 2026. you'll watch it on tv"

Pogacar is the real DS of the team. It depends on this year's Tour: if he loses to Vingegaard then he'll likely be pursuaded to skip the cobbles and focus more on stage-racing in 2026.

 

[Miha81]

Pogacar does whatever he wants. He will be back next year.

I hope so. He always lights up the races even in rare cases where he is an "underdog".

 

[Shortcut]

maybe he could race Gp Denain, E3, Gent, skip Flanders, and race Roubaix. in any case I want him to come back and win it

That would be the most stupid schedule ever.

 

[Cycling111]

do you think Gianetti and Matxin will say "ok Tadej you got what you wanted, you raced Roubaix, now let's put down a normal program for 2026. you'll watch it on tv"

If Roglic beats Ayuso, which I think is what will happen, they´ll want Pog to do Giro-Tour

As soon as Pogacar wins LaVuelta, the team will ask him to win a second Giro.

As of today, I have doubts that Ayuso can achieve the Giro and Almeida may have improved, but in the important events, Monuments and GT, no one in this team is capable of winning those objectives.

 

[pastronef]

If Roglic beats Ayuso, which I think is what will happen, they´ll want Pog to do Giro-Tour

As soon as Pogacar wins LaVuelta, the team will ask him to win a second Giro.

As of today, I have doubts that Ayuso can achieve the Giro and Almeida may have improved, but in the important events, Monuments and GT, no one in this team is capable of winning those objectives.

ffs that would be so bad. another Giro with a cigar in his mouth? nah please

 

[Peyroteo94]

ffs that would be so bad. another Giro with a cigar in his mouth? nah please

Of course not. UAE only cares about the Tour so Pogacar will race the Giro whenever he wants.
I hope he wins the Tour and maintain his schedule next year. Targetting all 5 monuments and the Tour

 

[Cycling111]

ffs that would be so bad. another Giro with a cigar in his mouth? nah please

If Almeida failed in Paris-Nice against Jorgenson, do you really see him not having any incidents in 21 days and winning a GT? Winning an Itzulia against Mas doesn't mean anything to me, except that he'll have a great TDF as a domestique . In GT he`ve performed well like a domestique like many other riders, but as a leader, he's not reliable for three weeks.

Ayuso has more chances, but I see Roglic superior. In UAE, they've been waiting three years for someone to win a major classic and have been completely incapable. Jumbo won in the northern campaign with Tratnik, Laporte, orJorgenson; In the UAE, no one has been able to do so, despite having signed better riders for the classics than Tratnik.

And the same thing happens in GT. If Ayuso doesn't achieve it, they'll want Pogacar to continue doing two GTs because he's the only one who can win them.

Regarding what you're saying, does anyone remember how Hinault won the Giro d'Italia? Were they fun or boring?What they remember are the 3 Giros, .11 GTs. What some forum members say he won't achieve, hehe. Well, if he wants to match Hinault, he'll have to win another Giro.

What matters to the team is winning GTs. They thought Yates would have fought for the Vuelta, that Almeida would, but the reality is they always fail. And if Ayuso doesn't beat the 36-year-old Roglic, what do you think they'll ask of Pog? Giro-Tour, especially if he wins the Vuelta this year.

 

[YavorD]

As soon as Pogacar wins LaVuelta, the team will ask him to win a second Giro.

They may ask him, which is still doubtful as the Giro isn't perfect preparation for the tour, and UAE cares mostly about the Tour, but he won't do it.

The only reasonable chance I see (except for injuries and crashes) for him not to race PR next year is if he gets trashed by Vingegaard in the Tour.

 

[Peyroteo94]

If Almeida failed in Paris-Nice against Jorgenson, do you really see him not having any incidents in 21 days and winning a GT? Winning an Itzulia against Mas doesn't mean anything to me, except that he'll have a great TDF as a domestique . In GT he`ve performed well like a domestique like many other riders, but as a leader, he's not reliable for three weeks.

Ayuso has more chances, but I see Roglic superior. In UAE, they've been waiting three years for someone to win a major classic and have been completely incapable. Jumbo won in the northern campaign with Tratnik, Laporte, orJorgenson; In the UAE, no one has been able to do so, despite having signed better riders for the classics than Tratnik.

And the same thing happens in GT. If Ayuso doesn't achieve it, they'll want Pogacar to continue doing two GTs because he's the only one who can win them.

Regarding what you're saying, does anyone remember how Hinault won the Giro d'Italia? Were they fun or boring?What they remember are the 3 Giros, .11 GTs. What some forum members say he won't achieve, hehe. Well, if he wants to match Hinault, he'll have to win another Giro.

What matters to the team is winning GTs. They thought Yates would have fought for the Vuelta, that Almeida would, but the reality is they always fail. And if Ayuso doesn't beat the 36-year-old Roglic, what do you think they'll ask of Pog? Giro-Tour, especially if he wins the Vuelta this year.

To match Hinault he just needs 3 more GTs (one Vuelta and 2 Tours) and winning all 5 monuments.

 

[Cycling111]

To match Hinault he just needs 3 more GTs (one Vuelta and 2 Tours) and winning all 5 monuments.

Ask the haters about that

But I say this because of what the team will think. UAE is looking to win as many Grand Tours as possible. Pogacar is guaranteeing them a Giro or Vuelta, and he's the only one who can win the Tour.
Visma had two riders who could do it, and they even did it with Kuss, in the UAE they wouldn´t have been able to give away LaVuelta because no one finished first, second or third


Almeida isn't a guarantee of winning anyGT. Ayuso isn't a guarantee for the Tour, and I'm not even sure he'll win a Giro against a veteran Roglic.
It will depend on what Ayuso does, if he is unable to beat Roglic at 36 years old, they´ll ask Pog to compete in 2 GTs again.

 

[Peyroteo94]

Ask the haters about that

But I say this because of what the team will think. UAE is looking to win as many Grand Tours as possible. Pogacar is guaranteeing them a Giro or Vuelta, and he's the only one who can win the Tour.
Visma had two riders who could do it, and they even did it with Kuss, in the UAE they wouldn´t have been able to give away LaVuelta because no one finished first, second or third


Almeida isn't a guarantee of winning anyGT. Ayuso isn't a guarantee for the Tour, and I'm not even sure he'll win a Giro against a veteran Roglic.
It will depend on what Ayuso does, if he is unable to beat Roglic at 36 years old, they´ll ask Pog to compete in 2 GTs again.

Who cares about haters?
If everything goes right, there is a strong case to be made about Pogacar being better than Hinault.

 

[Cycling111]

They may ask him, which is still doubtful as the Giro isn't perfect preparation for the tour, and UAE cares mostly about the Tour, but he won't do it.

The only reasonable chance I see (except for injuries and crashes) for him not to race PR next year is if he gets trashed by Vingegaard in the Tour.

I don't agree that the Giro isn't good preparation for the Tour. Superior riders in Giro like Eddy and Hinault had great Tours after the Giro. And even Indurian, who competed much less, did well that way.

In any case, doing Flanders and Roubaix is worse preparation for a Tour. Doing these classics contributes nothing to the Tour. Doing the Giro means doing three altitude training camps and climbing training. It's April, and Pog still hasn't done altitude training or trained in climbing.
It would be best not compete at all until the Tour, like Arsmotrong, Froome, or Vingegaard? Maybe, but a Giro-Tour is always better than a cobless Classics-Tour.

 

[Offline]

I expect Pogacar to pull from AGR and FW so he is 100% ready for LBL!
Would make sense...

 

[Cycling111]

Who cares about haters?
If everything goes right, there is a strong case to be made about Pogacar being better than Hinault.

It was sarcasm.
But I think the team wants him to compete in two GTs , especially if Ahyuso isn't able to win the Giro.

 

[Peyroteo94]

I don't agree that the Giro isn't good preparation for the Tour. Superior riders in Giro like Eddy and Hinault had great Tours after the Giro. And even Indurian, who competed much less, did well that way.

In any case, doing Flanders and Roubaix is worse preparation for a Tour. Doing these classics contributes nothing to the Tour. Doing the Giro means doing three altitude training camps and climbing training. It's April, and Pog still hasn't done altitude training or trained in climbing.
It would be best not compete at all until the Tour, like Arsmotrong, Froome, or Vingegaard? Maybe, but a Giro-Tour is always better than a cobless Classics-Tour.

Giro is never a good preparation and don't compare Hinault and Merckx to this era. They were racing all races, they didn't even practise. Their training was racing and now we are in a different cycling, way more specialization and competition. They are all professional now.
Indurain also won Giro-Tour but routes were full of TTs. Put 3 routes like we normally had in the 90's and Pogacar wins Giro-Tour-Vuelta with one leg.

 

[pastronef]

I really hope Pog just races the TDF in the following years. and focuses on monuments

 

[Cycling111]

Giro is never a good preparation and don't compare Hinault and Merckx to this era. They were racing all races, they didn't even practise. Their training was racing and now we are in a different cycling, way more specialization and competition. They are all professional now.
Indurain also won Giro-Tour but routes were full of TTs. Put 3 routes like we normally had in the 90's and Pogacar wins Giro-Tour-Vuelta with one leg.

It was also another era to do cobles classics.
Spending the entire spring preparing for Flanders and Roubaix is less appropriate.
As a fan, I prefer him at classics, but for a Tour is better do faltitude and train in the mountains, not on cobbles.

If he doesn't win the Tour this year, the UAE won't allow him to return to PR; they'd prefer he Giro-Tour.