Teams & Riders Tadej Pogačar discussion thread

[Cycling111]

If I had Pog's talent I would be doing 2 big one week races every spring + 2 Grand Tours every year and retire with 180+ pro wins. Pogi likes the adrenaline of the classics and winning '' easy'' races is boring for him. I applaud him for that.

Pogacar rides a different calendar because he's more talented than other riders who win the races you mentioned.
Lemmond won the Tour and was 30th in PR. Hinault needed several attempts.

The reason for his current calendar is his great talent.

It all comes down to physical strength.
If everything depended on strength, Lemmond wouldn't have finished 30th in the PR, and Vingegaard wouldn´t have poor results in Liège and Lombardy.
Pogacar went to Lombardy in poor shape in 2023, and it was enough for him to win.

He could win easy one-week races, but he wants to showcase his talent in races that are difficult for the riders competing in the TDF.

 

[Salvarani]

50/50 against Evenepoel. Probably a sprint finish

I think he still has a chance, but I dont believe it is 50/50 right now.

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

I finally become a fan of the guy, and this is how he repays me. I'm a jinx.

 

[Gigs_98]

 

[Peyroteo94]

Let's be real. Pog can still win Liege but he needs to ride more intelligently and not like a lunatic like in San Remo and Flanders. He can't afford it anymore. He needs full commitment from his team.

Of course he can. He still is the number one favorite even if he is sabotaging himself by racing FW

 

[Peyroteo94]

I think he still has a chance, but I dont believe it is 50/50 right now.

So do you think he will be dropped?

 

[snipeheem]

So do you think he will be dropped?

He might be dropped at Tour with schedule like this..

 

[Peyroteo94]

He might be dropped at Tour with schedule like this..

Don't worry. He will learn from this. He will reach a god level in July, I just don't know if he will be able to contest the Vuelta.

 

[Salvarani]

Let's be real. Pog can still win Liege but he needs to ride more intelligently and not like a lunatic like in San Remo and Flanders. He can't afford it anymore. He needs full commitment from his team.

Ronde and PR were really hard.

As I said yesterday, it is hard to first face MVDP on the cobbles (+ MSR) and then face Remco straight after in the Ardennes.

Only Pog could do it, but it is probably more likely they might get the better out of him.

He might have to choose his poison more carefully next go around.

Choose between:
MSR, Ronde and PR.
MSR, Ronde and LBL.
MSR and LBL (if he is doing two GTs imo).

 

[Salvarani]

So do you think he will be dropped?

I have no idea since this is all a bit of uncharted territory. Who knows.

However, Remco should get stronger given his prep and form increasing.

Pog is at the end of a tough racing schedule.

Thats my take on it.

 

[Peyroteo94]

Ronde and PR were really hard.

As I said yesterday, it is hard to first face MVDP on the cobbles (+ MSR) and then face Remco straight after in the Ardennes.

Only Pog could do it, but it is probably more likely they might get the better out of him.

He might have to choose his poison more carefully next go around.

Choose between:
MSR, Ronde and PR.
MSR, Ronde and LBL.
MSR and LBL (if he is doing two GTs imo).

I think SB+MSR+RVV+PR+LBL is good enough. 5 days of racing with 2 weeks of rest between races

 

[Cycling111]

Let's be real. Pog can still win Liege but he needs to ride more intelligently and not like a lunatic like in San Remo and Flanders. He can't afford it anymore. He needs full commitment from his team.

Considering the signings they've made, their team has had a terrible Classics campaign.

I have the feeling that several riders are physically exhausted from this absurd obsession with being the team with the most wins.
Wellenes has been exhausted for two weeks. They've had him do every Classics.
Narvaez has suffered several crashes, these lapses can be caused by fatigue.

Only McNulty was before the attacks began. In PR, he rode alone the entire race. Vermeersch got a good result but didn't work.

Then they'll win another race like Abruzzo and look strong against Bax and Petrolike, but they should be strong in PR, or today.

 

[Peyroteo94]

I have no idea since this is all bit uncharted territory. Who knows.

However, Remco should get stronger given his prep and form increasing.

Pog is at the end of a tough racing schedule.

Thats my take on it.

But don't fool yourself. Remco is not on the same boat of Pogacar. Remco has no business in beating a 100% Pogacar.

 

[Salvarani]

I think SB+MSR+RVV+PR+LBL is good enough. 5 days of racing with 2 weeks of rest between races

I think you are underestimating the time in preparation between the races and the actual efforts in these races.

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

Somewhere, Vingegaard is training with new hope.

 

[Rackham]

The fact his fans are now starting to question his race schedule suggests chasing all these one day races so aggressively this season might not be the smartest thing.

You have to all remember he's literally leaving 100% guaranteed wins in races like Paris-Nice, Catalunya and Itzulia on the side when he chases the classics. Just imagine how many WT wins he could have by now when you addition the overall GC + innevitable stage wins he'd get? He'd be destroying records by a much greater margin than he already is. And Amstel is in no way more prestigious than a win in any of those stage races either.

I still think Pog can demolish Liège, mind (after all he was beaten by Vinge at le Lioran in the Tour last year and then demolished everyone a few days later in the Pyrenees), but the "all-in on one day racing" strategy only works if he wins them. Right now, he's lost 3 out of the last 4 he competed in.

 

[Salvarani]

But don't fool yourself. Remco is not on the same boat of Pogacar. Remco has no business in beating a 100% Pogacar.

You are missing the point of what I am saying.

 

[Cycling111]

I prefer no racing in February

The biggest mistake was bringing forward his debut because he had to go to the UAE Tour

 

[Peyroteo94]

I think you are underestimating the time in preparation between the races and the actual efforts in these races.

I'm not but we will have a clear picture in 1 week

 

[Cycling111]

Somewhere, Vingegard is training with new hope.

Lioran 2.0

This is a consequence of PR. No conclusions can be drawn for the Tour.

 

[CatchyH]

The fact his fans are now starting to question his race schedule suggests chasing all these one day races so aggressively this season might not be the smartest thing.

You have to all remember he's literally leaving 100% guaranteed wins in races like Paris-Nice, Catalunya and Itzulia on the side when he chases the classics. Just imagine how many WT wins he could have by now when you addition the overall GC + innevitable stage wins he'd get? He'd be destroying records by a much greater margin than he already is. And Amstel is in no way more prestigious than a win in any of those stage races either.

I still think Pog can demolish Liège, mind (after all he was beaten by Vinge at le Lioran in the Tour last year and then demolished everyone a few days later in the Pyrenees), but the "all-in on one day racing" strategy only works if he wins them. Right now, he's lost 3 out of the last 4 he competed in.

If he wanted to race those races he would. He has the freedom to choose what he wants to race with some exceptions (UAE, TdF).

 

[Red Rick]

The fact his fans are now starting to question his race schedule suggests chasing all these one day races so aggressively this season might not be the smartest thing.

You have to all remember he's literally leaving 100% guaranteed wins in races like Paris-Nice, Catalunya and Itzulia on the side when he chases the classics. Just imagine how many WT wins he could have by now when you addition the overall GC + innevitable stage wins he'd get? He'd be destroying records by a much greater margin than he already is. And Amstel is in no way more prestigious than a win in any of those stage races either.

I still think Pog can demolish Liège, mind (after all he was beaten by Vinge at le Lioran in the Tour last year and then demolished everyone a few days later in the Pyrenees), but the "all-in on one day racing" strategy only works if he wins them. Right now, he's lost 3 out of the last 4 he competed in.

Problem isn't so much schedule as much as it is trying to win Amstel itself in a way too flashy way. He didn't need to do more than make a preselection on the Keutenberg and keep rotation going to then burn everyone else on the final Cauberg.

 

[Rou]

It was genuinely funny listening to Pogi's interview about Alaphilippe. The man attacked with such ferocity only to be dropped like a stone 10 mins later. I wonder what Pog was thinking at that moment.

 

[scribers]

Somewhere, Vingegard is training with new hope.

Kj masters visma are certainly licking their chops. Be damned the sport outside of July.

 

[hayneplane]

Obviously disappointing today but for such a post mortem about finishing second by a wheel rim tells a lot about his elevated status.

With hindsight he definitely should have stuck to the plan of racing more cagily and not responded to the meme attack from Alaphillipe that nobody still believes he can sustain.