Teams & Riders Tadej Pogačar discussion thread

[Cycling111]

He will ride for Isaac today. Such a shame to be honest. I was cheering for him to reach 20 wins this season.

The most ironic thing is that Del Toro hasn't exactly been his best domestique. He's had plenty of opportunities this year .I'd understand better if he helped Majka , but it's clear Majka isn't going to win. I don't understand this need to help Del Toro, as if Del Toro had sacrificed his season to help Pogacar .

It'll help calm all those people who are calling for him to gift a Monument. Next year they'll be asking for Del Toro be co-leader in the Tour .

 

[Peyroteo94]

The most ironic thing is that Del Toro hasn't exactly been his best domestique. He's had plenty of opportunities this year .I'd understand better if he helped Majka , but it's clear Majka isn't going to win. I don't understand this need to help Del Toro, as if Del Toro had sacrificed his season to help Pogacar .

It'll help calm all those people who are calling for him to gift a Monument. Next year they'll be asking for Del Toro be co-leader in the Tour .

Agreed. If Del Toro was racing against Pogacar, he would lose.

 

[Cycling111]

Agreed. If Del Toro was racing against Pogacar, he would lose.

Jan Christen has been more domestique this year in FW than Del Toro. I don't see whyhe should give him a race. With Lombady they have lost all sense.

 

[Peyroteo94]

Jan Christen has been more domestique this year in FW than Del Toro. I don't see whyhe should give him a race. With Lombady they have lost all sense.

I hope Pidcock is good enough to prevent an easy win for Del Toro. Maybe they will free Pogacar.

 

[Cycling111]

I think Pogacar tried to help Del Toro, but the Mexican didn't have the legs he'd had on other days.

 

[VayaVayaVaya]

It’s honestly no fun watching cycling anymore. In another thread they’re debating whether he made a jump in 2024. That’s the difference right there: in 2022-2023, Pogacar was the best all around rider in the world, winning all kinds of races all year but not always by huge margins (see Lombardia, etc)) and losing the Tour. In 2020-2021, he had moments of vulnerability in his Tour wins and lost some classics, some fairly badly. In 2024-2025, with the exception of P-R and WC ITT, he just rides away at will with seemingly zero effort. It’s just ludicrous.

 

[Shortcut]

After seeing Del Toro punch i really think they need to attack with him and Narvaez already on Berta next year at MSR. And with Del Toro+Almeida that will be such cheat code at TdF.

 

[Salvarani]

Congrats on another win GOAT!

 

[yaf2]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1975566117084274766

View: https://x.com/laflammerouge16/status/1975566117084274766?t=PXWLF4LgtoLQhLTMOftIOg&s=19

Imagine having to ride against two pogacars in a single race, one in Worlds jersey & the other on European jersey 🥵😅

 

[Unchained]

Jan Christen has been more domestique this year in FW than Del Toro. I don't see whyhe should give him a race. With Lombady they have lost all sense.

Christen and Del Toro have both been outstanding domestiques all year, they do everything asked of them and more. Today Del Toro rode outstanding, he literally coasted into the top 10 with an easy eighth.
Kept himself out of trouble. He enjoyed the chase buffer created by the best rider of all time. Isaac just sat in the draft as chase worked hard.
In many of these posts people act like there is parity between Pogacar and Del Toro. Ridiculous,
Del Toro is nowhere near the rider as Tadej, that's not a criticism, just reality, nobody is Pogacar's equal, established fact.
Del Toro will not be gifted Lombardi, he isn't scheduled to ride. He will race Piemonte.
Pogacar has won Lombardi every year since 2021..and if Del Toro has enough gas left he could ride support in Lombardi, but likely he will sit it out.

 

[hayneplane]

I think Pogacar tried to help Del Toro, but the Mexican didn't have the legs he'd had on other days.

Del Toro still looked to be covering everything with zero difficulty. It looked to be more of an accidental solo today where he was in the front of the group on the descent and saw he had a gap without really pushing for it then decided it was worth continuing with.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Mathieu van der Poel speaks about Pogacar in an interview. Big respect of one great towards another:

On comparison with Merckx:

It is really impressive, and it looks so easy. I have said it before, the new Merckx might not be the right comparison, because his name is Pogacar, but for us it must feel a bit like it did when Merckx was racing. On his terrain, Pogacar can do whatever he wants.

On San Remo and Roubaix victories:

That was on my terrain, and even then it was close. On his terrain I am no threat to him. It does give extra motivation to be ready again next spring. If you can follow Pogacar and beat him, you are close to victory

"On his terrain, Pogacar can do whatever he wants" - Mathieu van der Poel on World Championships, van Aert, rest and Eddy Merckx comparisons

Mathieu van der Poel is perhaps the only rider in the pro peloton that managed to match and beat Tadej Pogacar in a race (two in this case: Milano-Sanremo and Paris-Roubaix) where the Slovenian put hi...

cyclinguptodate.com

 

[Peyroteo94]

20 wins on the menu baby!

 

[Peyroteo94]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1975566117084274766

View: https://x.com/laflammerouge16/status/1975566117084274766?t=PXWLF4LgtoLQhLTMOftIOg&s=19

Imagine having to ride against two pogacars in a single race, one in Worlds jersey & the other on European jersey 🥵😅

They would attaco with 100 km to go and win with a 5 minutes gap.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1975566117084274766

View: https://x.com/laflammerouge16/status/1975566117084274766?t=PXWLF4LgtoLQhLTMOftIOg&s=19

Imagine having to ride against two pogacars in a single race, one in Worlds jersey & the other on European jersey 🥵😅

For the peleton there's already one Pogacar too many. Two Pogacars would be the ultimate nightmare.

 

[Poursuivant]

Possibly but it still increases the options for a variable outcome which should also benefit Pog.

At present it is difficult to conjure a scenario that Pog can beat a top MVP at MSR.

Adding more realistic protagonists like Remco will benefit all.

I imagine WVA will be at MSR next year too.

 

[pihi42]

I don’t think Duplantis is a good comparison even if his domination is similar or even bigger than Pogi.
The question about Duplantis .. whether he’s gonna set a new world record. With Pogacar it doesn’t make a difference .. there is nothing to compare with to create excitement..
A Duplantis jump lasts 30-45 seconds in the TV .. A Pogi solo ..lasts more than an hour...
Then I honestly think it’s a horrible comparison to say “Olympics are not in danger of dying because of Duplantis, on the contrary”, because the Olympics are not just one sport …

Ah, yes. So the difference is not in terms of sport relevance but in TV impact, that is commercial. Yes, that is always the end goal. Even TDF was concieved as newspaper promotion. The Olympics weren't, but turned out just the same.
So, we need Pogi to stop winning so that big corporations can make more money. I'm sure if that were so, It could be arranged easily. I'm not sure TV and sponsors are the ones complaining, nor is it the "general non-sporting public".
It's THE FANS OF OTHER CYCLISTS, and more importantly, the fans of nations that "own cycling".
So, let me rephrase my question: why don't fans of other pole vaulters complain nonstop about Duplantis winning every time?

 

[yaf2]

For the peleton there's already one Pogacar too many. Two Pogacars would be the ultimate nightmare.

But if they ride against each other it would be an epic spectacle🤩 they will just attack each other but couldn't drop each other

 

[Axel Hangleck]

just for my own mind really, big races Pog hasn't won yet to complete Road cycling.

Vuelta a Espana

Basque Country
Romandie
Suisse

Omloop
Milan San-Remo
Milano-Torino
E3 Prijs
Dwars door Vlaanderen
Roubaix
San Sebastian
Bretagne
Quebec

I'm surprised at how many there are really. Few more years yet

Time we saw him try another discipline - we've seen Max Verstappen try GT3 racing away from F1, Pogi to do something different.

 

[Lequack]

So I guess he will have to gift Del Toro the Lombadria race instead.

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

So, let me rephrase my question: why don't fans of other pole vaulters complain nonstop about Duplantis winning every time?

I have no idea if they do or not. I dont know a single fan of pole vaulting.

 

[Valv.Piti]

So I guess he will have to gift Del Toro the Lombadria race instead.

Uhm, of course not. Lombardia's is Pog's best race and he can continue his streak there.

 

[James M]

If he does win it maybe some folks on the Remco thread will figure out why he doesn't feel the need to pile on minutes when he has 75km to go. He's in a rare zone of strategic dominance that is more than just pounding everyone. He's got other competitors so reluctant to risk blowing up they just give up. This happened in the Giro last year, too. Geraint Thomas wouldn't even shrug, let alone get out of the saddle when Tadej passed him. It's not just this year.

If they still needs it explained why Pog is fresher than the others at the end, that its obv because he's relatively not pushing as hard and simply controlling the gap when its that big— the incentive and burden clearly fall on the others to push and close it. If thats not clear by now I wouldn't hold my breath at this point.

At the end of the day hes a special rider on his own but Remco isn't even a rival to Pogacar in any way shape or form atm. It is indeed tedious.

 

[Peyroteo94]

I imagine WVA will be at MSR next year too.

WVA will be a challenge too.

 

[Lequack]

Where are Wout and MVDP? It seems like they disappeared from the face of the Earth at the end of the season. And they can both challenge Pog.