Teams & Riders Tadej Pogačar discussion thread

[Coppi-Bartali]

"Maybe not next year" - Tadej Pogacar may skip Paris-Roubaix; Gianetti assures return is ineevitable and congratulates Van Aert

UAE Team Emirates - XRG helped Tadej Pogacar to victory on the first two monuments of the season but couldn't pull it off at Paris-Roubaix. The Hell of the North is a race that usually throws riders'...

cyclinguptodate.com

I said it yesterday, and they said the same thing after San Remo. But someone decided to laugh.

 

[canina82]

Indurain or Froome? Indurain .

Indurain. He doesn't have the Vuelta, Froome yes.

Indurain or Hinault? Hinault.

If Hinault is considered better than Indurain, it's not because of the number of GTs, but because, having the same number of Tour de France, everything he achieved in classics adds value, making him a more complete rider.

Froome has 4 TdF. Indurain has 5 TdF. This makes a lot of difference.
Hinault has 10 GTs (all 3 and 5 TdF) and this alone puts him above Indurain.

 

[BahamontesPhantom]

San - Remo vs Liege
Since 1960 both have been won 12 times by tdf winners.
Both twice in the last 20 years.
WC winners who’ve won in the last 20 years, 10 for Liege with 4 different winners, 8 for San Remo with 6 different winners.
They’re close in terms of winners, at least in the statistics I for what ever reason decided to look at.

 

[The bald fraud]

"Maybe not next year" - Tadej Pogacar may skip Paris-Roubaix; Gianetti assures return is ineevitable and congratulates Van Aert

UAE Team Emirates - XRG helped Tadej Pogacar to victory on the first two monuments of the season but couldn't pull it off at Paris-Roubaix. The Hell of the North is a race that usually throws riders'...

cyclinguptodate.com

Next year, he seems to set his sight on the GT treble (or at the very least the Tour-Vuelta double, as the gap between the two will be quite long and WC takes place before Vuelta). To accomplish that, he needs a GT-specific preparation (similar to 2024), which would also mean a very light spring, including skipping the cobbled classics. Maybe he can do Itzulia/Liege before the Giro, but that is pretty much all.

 

[Coppi-Bartali]

Next year, he seems to set his sight on the GT treble (or at the very least the Tour-Vuelta double, as the gap between the two will be quite long and WC takes place before Vuelta). To accomplish that, he needs a GT-specific preparation (similar to 2024), which would also mean a very light spring, including skipping the cobbled classics. Maybe he can do Itzulia/Liege before the Giro, but that is pretty much all.

I don't think he'll do all three Grand Tours. He could do the Giro the year of the Olympics, sacrificing the Tour that year if he's already won fifth.

 

[vappa]

He wouldn't be cooked, obviously

For only 1 reason and that is that in his time, changing bikes 3 times was completely normal and not big bad luck. Plus, Pogacar also wouldn't be cooked in he had 72-74kgs like Merckx

 

[Coppi-Bartali]

The idea that Merckx never lost and never got coocked is a myth.

 

[The bald fraud]

He could do the Giro the year of the Olympics, sacrificing the Tour that year if he's already won fifth.

I believe he will do that (i.e. sacrifice the Tour in 2028 and probably ride Giro instead) regardless of what happens next year, especially if he wins the fifth Tour in 2026. But that does not mean he will not go for Giro-Tour-WC-Vuelta in 2027. If ever, 2027 is the year.

 

[canina82]

Morgado told Pogacar might sprinted with a flat in the velodrome.

 

[Lorzenz08]

Pogi having a little chill moment after the race

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

View: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXC_9EugEG9/?igsh=MTllamxoOXduNnhoeA==

 

[Berniece]

For only 1 reason and that is that in his time, changing bikes 3 times was completely normal and not big bad luck. Plus, Pogacar also wouldn't be cooked in he had 72-74kgs like Merckx

True, but he also wouldn't win 11 GT's weighing that

 

[vappa]

True, but he also wouldn't win 11 GT's weighing that

He would win 0 if he weighed that much today. If I remember correctly, he only won 2 mountain stages in the Tour. He'd have no chance today with that mountain "domination"

 

[Peter von]

I believe he will do that (i.e. sacrifice the Tour in 2028 and probably ride Giro instead) regardless of what happens next year, especially if he wins the fifth Tour in 2026. But that does not mean he will not go for Giro-Tour-WC-Vuelta in 2027. If ever, 2027 is the year.

2028 is a very long way away.

I don’t think Pogi or UAE has given it much serious consideration yet.

I don't think he'll do all three Grand Tours. He could do the Giro the year of the Olympics, sacrificing the Tour that year if he's already won fifth.

GT treble would be crazy, but until 2024 we also thought Giro-Tour doubles were a ting of the past especially given all Pogis other wins that year. If anyone can do it or even come close it’s Pogi.

 

[The bald fraud]

2028 is a very long way away.

I don’t think Pogi or UAE has given it much serious consideration yet.

Pogi already mentioned that 2028 Olympics are a big goal for him. But yes, still quite far away.

 

[Lyset.]

So, no monument sweep in 2026. But it is still worth noting that the last twelve months must be the best ever. Started and ended with second in PR, and in between he won every other monument + WCRR + the Tour + a bunch of "minor" races (Strade, FW, Dauphiné etc.). I have followed the sport since around 1990, and I never thought I would see something like this.

 

[SHAD0W93]

Mark Cavendish has won a WC.

Cavendish is also the GOAT sprinter and was a mess up away from winning a second worlds on a harder course.

 

[AlpRaid]

omg the whining and excuses coming out of UAE.

"He was sprinting on a flat tire!"

"Visma and Alpecin should not have gone so strongly when he flatted."

LOL. This is P-R not the TDF and Pog is not in yellow. No one waits. And arguably they did slow down and let him return (see the front group using the entire width of the road when Pog closed the last 20 seconds).

They make Remco look good with this bs whining. Bwahahahaha.

 

[AlpRaid]

He would win 0 if he weighed that much today. If I remember correctly, he only won 2 mountain stages in the Tour. He'd have no chance today with that mountain "domination"

who Merckx?

if so, you are completely wrong. He won many. Even as late as 1974...

and that is despite the fact that he never climbed as well as 1969 (after the Blois accident).

 

[vappa]

who Merckx?

if so, you are completely wrong. He won many. Even as late as 1974...

and that is despite the fact that he never climbed as well as 1969 (after the Blois accident).

I meant MTF, I apologise for the confusion

 

[GdL]

Yesterday may have been proof that Pogacar will never eclipse Merckx, as great as he is.
With Van der Poel out of contention he still couldn’t win.
I Hope Tadej wins Roubaix one day, but Merckx would simply not have lost if given the circumstances of yesterday.

I’ve been following professional cycling for 35 years, and in my view, Merckx would likely have half his palmarès if he raced in today’s peloton.

In the 1970s, the extreme specialization we see now simply didn't exist. I’m not a 'fan' of any particular rider, but what Tadej Pogačar is doing is truly from another world. If you had asked any cycling fan before 2020 if a rider could win multiple Monuments, two Grand Tours, and the World Championships in a single season, they’d have thought you're out of your mind.

How many Monuments did the strongest GT riders ( Armstrong, Indurain, Pantani, Ullrich, Contador, Froome) of the last 35 years win? Zero. There’s a reason for that: the physical and tactical requirements for a three-week Tour and a one-day Classic moved into two different universes.

People talk about Merckx being 'fast,' but he wasn't 'Van Aert fast.' He was so 'fast' that in the 1973 Worlds, he couldn't even follow Freddy Maertens' lead-out and lost the sprint to Felice Gimondi. Maertens was essentially the Wout van Aert of his era, and Merckx stood no chance against him in a straight sprint.

I don’t care for 'who is the GOAT' debates because comparing eras is often futile. However, Pogačar is proving to be more influential than Merckx precisely because he is doing what everyone thought was no longer possible. For decades, the consensus was that if you wanted to be the best GT rider, you had to sacrifice the Classics. Armstrong was the blueprint for this: one peak, one race, one goal.

Even when Peter Sagan was at his peak, some people in this forum discussed him as a 'GOAT' contender because it seemed impossible to be the best one-day rider while being even remotely competitive in the high mountains. Now, Pogačar has shattered that glass ceiling. He’s being compared to Merckx, but he’s doing it in a globally saturated era with specialized training, 50+ competing nations, and a much larger pool of truly professionalized athletes. Pogačar isn't just winning; he’s rewriting the rules of what a modern cyclist is allowed to achieve.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

True, but he also wouldn't win 11 GT's weighing that

In those times (60's 70's) Tour winners were mostly 70 kg+. Petite climbers had it more difficult. It's i.e. due to worse bike technology (bigger resistance), heavier bikes, more TTs and big differences that were made also on flat/rolling stages (they weren't as controlled as nowadays).

 

[Red Rick]

In those times (60's 70's) Tour winners were mostly 70 kg+. Petite climbers had it more difficult. It's i.e. due to worse bike technology (bigger resistance), heavier bikes, more TTs and big differences that were made also on flat/hilly stages.

Also just fewer climbers in general due to the ecosystem I presume. And a lot of climbs were just churning the big gear which favors a different kind of rider too

 

[Coppi-Bartali]

Weight was more standardized back then; it wasn't as polarized as it is now. VDP and Vingegaard represent the two physical extremes of this sport.

You look at photos from the '60s, '70s, and even '80s, and the physique was more standar.

 

[rafa92]

I’ve been following professional cycling for 35 years, and in my view, Merckx would likely have half his palmarès if he raced in today’s peloton.

In the 1970s, the extreme specialization we see now simply didn't exist. I’m not a 'fan' of any particular rider, but what Tadej Pogačar is doing is truly from another world. If you had asked any cycling fan before 2020 if a rider could win multiple Monuments, two Grand Tours, and the World Championships in a single season, they’d have thought you're out of your mind.

How many Monuments did the strongest GT riders ( Armstrong, Indurain, Pantani, Ullrich, Contador, Froome) of the last 35 years win? Zero. There’s a reason for that: the physical and tactical requirements for a three-week Tour and a one-day Classic moved into two different universes.

People talk about Merckx being 'fast,' but he wasn't 'Van Aert fast.' He was so 'fast' that in the 1973 Worlds, he couldn't even follow Freddy Maertens' lead-out and lost the sprint to Felice Gimondi. Maertens was essentially the Wout van Aert of his era, and Merckx stood no chance against him in a straight sprint.

I don’t care for 'who is the GOAT' debates because comparing eras is often futile. However, Pogačar is proving to be more influential than Merckx precisely because he is doing what everyone thought was no longer possible. For decades, the consensus was that if you wanted to be the best GT rider, you had to sacrifice the Classics. Armstrong was the blueprint for this: one peak, one race, one goal.

Even when Peter Sagan was at his peak, some people in this forum discussed him as a 'GOAT' contender because it seemed impossible to be the best one-day rider while being even remotely competitive in the high mountains. Now, Pogačar has shattered that glass ceiling. He’s being compared to Merckx, but he’s doing it in a globally saturated era with specialized training, 50+ competing nations, and a much larger pool of truly professionalized athletes. Pogačar isn't just winning; he’s rewriting the rules of what a modern cyclist is allowed to achieve.

this is a great comment but most people will not get it because they have not really followed cycling over the decades and have no really idea about how the sport changed

 

[canina82]

I’ve been following professional cycling for 35 years, and in my view, Merckx would likely have half his palmarès if he raced in today’s peloton.

In the 1970s, the extreme specialization we see now simply didn't exist. I’m not a 'fan' of any particular rider, but what Tadej Pogačar is doing is truly from another world. If you had asked any cycling fan before 2020 if a rider could win multiple Monuments, two Grand Tours, and the World Championships in a single season, they’d have thought you're out of your mind.

How many Monuments did the strongest GT riders ( Armstrong, Indurain, Pantani, Ullrich, Contador, Froome) of the last 35 years win? Zero. There’s a reason for that: the physical and tactical requirements for a three-week Tour and a one-day Classic moved into two different universes.

People talk about Merckx being 'fast,' but he wasn't 'Van Aert fast.' He was so 'fast' that in the 1973 Worlds, he couldn't even follow Freddy Maertens' lead-out and lost the sprint to Felice Gimondi. Maertens was essentially the Wout van Aert of his era, and Merckx stood no chance against him in a straight sprint.

I don’t care for 'who is the GOAT' debates because comparing eras is often futile. However, Pogačar is proving to be more influential than Merckx precisely because he is doing what everyone thought was no longer possible. For decades, the consensus was that if you wanted to be the best GT rider, you had to sacrifice the Classics. Armstrong was the blueprint for this: one peak, one race, one goal.

Even when Peter Sagan was at his peak, some people in this forum discussed him as a 'GOAT' contender because it seemed impossible to be the best one-day rider while being even remotely competitive in the high mountains. Now, Pogačar has shattered that glass ceiling. He’s being compared to Merckx, but he’s doing it in a globally saturated era with specialized training, 50+ competing nations, and a much larger pool of truly professionalized athletes. Pogačar isn't just winning; he’s rewriting the rules of what a modern cyclist is allowed to achieve.

Touché.