Teams & Riders Tadej Pogačar discussion thread

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hayneplane

Sep 4, 2017
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Krzysztof_O said:
Rafal explained it in one of his interviews. UAE wanted him to stay and he still feels like he could continue for a few more years but he doesnt want to lose precious family time anymore.

Hes had a good career (great stage wins and polka dot jersey at the Tour, top3 in Vuelta and Olympics) and his last few years were also good: he enjoyed helping the greatest rider of the modern era and riding with less pressure than before (as he said, it was easier).
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I hope they make him leader in one of the midweek races next week. Deserves one last shot at signing off in style.
 
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Shortcut

Oct 23, 2024
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Peyroteo94 said:
He said his legs are really good so I think we will se another Poggenheimer on Sunday. Last week he finished much fresher than in Zurich, I don't know if he went all out and this is the scary thing.
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I really think he was stroger than ever at TdF and in second week reached his peak. He got sick, was injured and Visma did everything too break him and he still lost nothing last week. If he wins Lombardia then skipping Vuelta was right move and with winning EC that would be perfect. He is stronger than ever (after Dauphine that was already obvious). Tre Valli Varesine will again not be real test. But if he losses there will be again hopium. And then when he wins Lombardia with 2 min gap, then goes again "it is so boring bla bla". When he lost at MSR and before RVV that happened, again after losing Amstel but then winning LBL, after Quebec, after WC ITT, but Pogacar always delivers when it matters, like always-it is just amazing how good he is in hitting his peak at right time.
 
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Peyroteo94

Peyroteo94

Mar 20, 2022
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Shortcut said:
I really think he was stroger than ever at TdF and in second week reached his peak. He got sick, was injured and Visma did everything too break him and he still lost nothing last week. If he wins Lombardia then skipping Vuelta was right move and with winning EC that would be perfect. He is stronger than ever (after Dauphine that was already obvious). Tre Valli Varesine will again not be real test. But if he losses there will be again hopium. And then when he wins Lombardia with 2 min gap, then goes again "it is so boring bla bla". When he lost at MSR and before RVV that happened, again after losing Amstel but then winning LBL, after Quebec, after WC ITT, but Pogacar always delivers when it matters, like always-it is just amazing how good he is in hitting his peak at right time.
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I don't know. He was very impressive on Hautacam despite a very positive split (Narvaez cooked him a little bit, but of course his pace cooked even more Vingegaard). I think his best performance was on Combloux, for me it's the "WTF performance of the season". FW is a close call.
 
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Cycling111

Apr 13, 2025
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hayneplane said:
Don’t care. They have won enough this year not to need to only ride for the person most likely to win in a smaller race such as Coppa Sabatini etc
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I completely agree. But I doubt they will. There's a reason they're squeezing Del Toro until the last day of the season.

I've mentioned something in his thread, but no one shares my view about the overload they're subjecting him to in 2025.

Let's hope it doesn't have consequences from overload in 2026/2027.
Not only physical, mental overload is important.


McNulty's example is also clear of what UAE pretends with the record. What's McNulty doing in Croatia this year? He already won it last year. McNulty should have gone to the World Championships and other higher-level races.

What does it gain McNulty to spend another six days in Croatia for a second year? Winning the queen stage against a low-level climber like Zanna...
I'm even more surprised to see Wellens out there. He already seemed exhausted in a previous Classics. Yesterday, he looked coocked, even though the start list was so mediocre that he could have easily finished in the top three for the stage. They probably brought him in case McNulty failed and they could continue racking up wins.
Wellens should be at home at this point in the season, and Del Toro, even if he's still in shape and win everything in italia, is a rider who's being pushed so hard that I fear it'll take its toll.
 
James M

James M

Jun 17, 2024
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Peyroteo94 said:
I don't know. He was very impressive on Hautacam despite a very positive split (Narvaez cooked him a little bit, but of course his pace cooked even more Vingegaard). I think his best performance was on Combloux, for me it's the "WTF performance of the season". FW is a close call.
Click to expand...
FW was definitely a WTF moment indeed. MSR was right up there for me personally actually, really special. What he did there was unprecedented.

RVV aswell mostly because of the way he did it vs whom in RVV is no small task, he just ground MvdP into the dirt with relentless attacks. Same goes for PR, impressive honestly since it shouldnt be possible but hard to put at top but also hard to properly measure imo.

Combloux and Hautacam indeed in a vaccum relative, though it's his home turf aswell, personally find it a bit hard to differentiate and rank which was the most for me, theres been a few. Also Kigali more impressive than Zurich imo.
 
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Cycling111

Apr 13, 2025
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Peyroteo94 said:
Sometimes they don't race to the rider most likely to win, they race with numbers and in this situation, maybe Majka can make a sneaky attack and win.
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If that were the case, they wouldn't have brought McNulty to Croatia to secure a win against Zanna and would have given other riders a chance.

And the fact that Del Toro's season is being extended. He said in Rwanda that he thought he had one more race left... also seems to show they want to send their best to win.

I'm convinced they only care about setting the record as high as possible.

Matxin was obsessed in preseason with equaling Visma's record winning the 3 GTs. Since he hasn't managed it and sees it as so difficult, he wants to make the record they do hold unattainable.
 
Peyroteo94

Peyroteo94

Mar 20, 2022
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Cycling111 said:
I completely agree. But I doubt they will. There's a reason they're squeezing Del Toro until the last day of the season.

I've mentioned something in his thread, but no one shares my view about the overload they're subjecting him to in 2025.

Let's hope it doesn't have consequences from overload in 2026/2027.
Not only physical, mental overload is important.


McNulty's example is also clear of what UAE pretends with the record. What's McNulty doing in Croatia this year? He already won it last year. McNulty should have gone to the World Championships and other higher-level races.

What does it gain McNulty to spend another six days in Croatia for a second year? Winning the queen stage against a low-level climber like Zanna...
I'm even more surprised to see Wellens out there. He already seemed exhausted in a previous Classics. Yesterday, he looked coocked, even though the start list was so mediocre that he could have easily finished in the top three for the stage. They probably brought him in case McNulty failed and they could continue racking up wins.
Wellens should be at home at this point in the season, and Del Toro, even if he's still in shape and win everything in italia, is a rider who's being pushed so hard that I fear it'll take its toll.
Click to expand...
Do you think it was UAE who decided to exclude McNulty from doing the WC?
 
Peyroteo94

Peyroteo94

Mar 20, 2022
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James M said:
FW was definitely a WTF moment indeed. MSR was right up there for me personally actually, really special. What he did there was unprecedented.

RVV aswell mostly because of the way he did it vs whom in RVV is no small task, he just ground MvdP into the dirt with relentless attacks. Same goes for PR, impressive honestly since it shouldnt be possible but hard to put at top but also hard to properly measure imo.

Combloux and Hautacam indeed in a vaccum relative, though it's his home turf aswell, personally find it a bit hard to differentiate and rank which was the most for me, theres been a few. Also Kigali more impressive than Zurich imo.
Click to expand...
Agreed on MSR. I didn't put it because he didn't drop MVP (an almost impossible task in 4/5% gradients).
But Combloux was something else for me. After the TT, a lot of people questioned his level and said Vingegaard with a perfect preparation is better than Pogacar (in GTs) and then Pogacar just humiliated Vingegaard without getting out of the saddle. It was really a WTF moment, at least for me.
 
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Cycling111

Apr 13, 2025
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Peyroteo94 said:
Do you think it was UAE who decided to exclude McNulty from doing the WC?
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No. I didn't say that, but the decision to be in Croatia and not in other high-level races is influenced by how the team operates.

I can't imagine Jorgenson being in Croatia two years in a row. It's something we see in UAE.

Matxin's obsession was to equal Visma's record with 3 GT. Since they haven't achieved that, they're obsessed with extending their record of victories, even if they have to send a rider of McNulty's level and Wellens to a race where third-level and young riders are competing.



as.com

Matxin: “Ganar las tres grandes vueltas este año es un reto”

El vasco, mánager del UAE, analiza la temporada de su equipo y el papel de varios ciclistas: “Ayuso va a dar un paso más”, destaca Joxean a AS.
as.com as.com
 
H

HashRouge

Apr 21, 2025
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Cycling111 said:
If that were the case, they wouldn't have brought McNulty to Croatia to secure a win against Zanna and would have given other riders a chance.

And the fact that Del Toro's season is being extended. He said in Rwanda that he thought he had one more race left... also seems to show they want to send their best to win.

I'm convinced they only care about setting the record as high as possible.

Matxin was obsessed in preseason with equaling Visma's record winning the 3 GTs. Since he hasn't managed it and sees it as so difficult, he wants to make the record they do hold unattainable.
Click to expand...
I really wish they didn't care about the stupid win record so much. It's kind of embarrassing watching Brandon McNulty stomp all over everyone at the CRO race.
 
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Peyroteo94

Peyroteo94

Mar 20, 2022
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Cycling111 said:
No. I didn't say that, but the decision to be in Croatia and not in other high-level races is influenced by how the team operates.

I can't imagine Jorgenson being in Croatia two years in a row. It's something we see in UAE.

Matxin's obsession was to equal Visma's record with 3 GT. Since they haven't achieved that, they're obsessed with extending their record of victories, even if they have to send a rider of McNulty's level and Wellens to a race where third-level and young riders are competing.



as.com

Matxin: “Ganar las tres grandes vueltas este año es un reto”

El vasco, mánager del UAE, analiza la temporada de su equipo y el papel de varios ciclistas: “Ayuso va a dar un paso más”, destaca Joxean a AS.
as.com as.com
Click to expand...
But what WT races do you have now? He went to Canada and after that you don't have anything so I'm not getting your point.
 
James M

James M

Jun 17, 2024
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Peyroteo94 said:
Agreed on MSR. I didn't put it because he didn't drop MVP (an almost impossible task in 4/5% gradients).
But Combloux was something else for me. After the TT, a lot of people questioned his level and said Vingegaard with a perfect preparation is better than Pogacar (in GTs) and then Pogacar just humiliated Vingegaard without getting out of the saddle. It was really a WTF moment, at least for me.
Click to expand...
Indeed, the speed they carry on those gradients, drag implications etc especially against a freak like MvdP should be impossible. Nevertheless, it was special.

Well, you know I don’t share that sentiment, fair, but I was surprised by the saddle attack in which manner indeed. As a moment, it was a bit of a WTF. He seems to have developed a new technique or adapted something from his classics-style riding to his mountain climbing or something. In classics weve seen it more frequently when he attacks.
 
Peyroteo94

Peyroteo94

Mar 20, 2022
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James M said:
Indeed, the speed they carry on those gradients, drag implications etc especially against a freak like MvdP should be impossible. Nevertheless, it was special.

Well, you know I don’t share that sentiment, fair, but I was surprised by the saddle attack in which manner indeed. As a moment, it was a bit of a WTF. He seems to have developed a new technique or adapted something from his classics-style riding to his mountain climbing or something. In classics weve seen it more frequently when he attacks.
Click to expand...
But no one expected that gap to Vingegaard.
 
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