Well not on GTs where he's not leader, perhapsLet's just conclude that if Pog has gotten a special cocktail it's at least not shared with the rest of the team
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The photo of Pogi and his doctor on Mortirolo is a stern warning for his rivals: a watt bomb is being prepared!
There's a sign that says "Selfie spot"?! Oh, God.
You could already see though that he is very strong now also. He just played it nice for Majka - riding 75% of the pulls in the flatter parts. Not dropping him unless he had to (like on Friday when the group almost caught up).
Yup! I anticipate some folks and cycling publications are getting into circle jerk frenzy over the prospect of him and dominating another Tour. Velonews has already called him cycling's Superman.
Pog's real identity might be corroborated by some analysis conducted on Jumbo's "masterpiece" TdF jersey, namely on the "green" part:
Zoom x 2020 =
I think TJV are ready.
Interesting conversation about Pogacar's popularity here (or lack thereof) in the main forum: Teams & Riders - Tadej Pogačar discussion thread | Cyclingnews Forum
I'll post in the clinic though because that's literally my point: a cleanly presented, tightly packaged super performer who explodes onto the scene & smashes everyone with ease no matter the terrain (Strade, the TdF, Lombardia & he almost won Flanders ffs!) is never going to elicit an immediate outpouring of love, support & enthusiasm - not in this sport. How could he? UAE would be tone deaf to imagine their product could become Mr. Popularity when each & everyone of his "super performer" forefathers in the sport had his hand in the Pot belge. Add his boss Gianetti on top & voilà, a hilarious picture which demands suspension of disbelief like a Marvel movie.
Maybe it's unfair on Pogacar but the bottom line is cycling (long before all the revelations about the how & why all its champions performed extraordinary feats was revealed) is a sport which champions overcoming adversity & suffering. Not Dragon Ball Z characters.
It's a sport where the image of Luis Ocaña's 1971 crash is as iconic (more so, perhaps) than any watts demolition of the Alpine & Pyrenean summits by its super performers (& wonder boys). It's not football where a man who score hattricks after hattricks becomes a legend. It demands something more from its champions, aka the aforementioned suffering & human factor which makes it all so relatable. Just my opinion but Pogacar won't be a popular legend until he becomes human. This might be next month, next year, or never. It's not getting loldropped on the Ventoux last year which will make a difference either (despite UAE's spin about Pog 'suffering' on that day), no, Pog needs something like Ullrich's Les Deux Alpes 1998 disaster before 'the people' see him as a real champion.
Ullrich who of course was a super doper (aren't they all to various extents?) but that one sh*t day followed by an attack & win the next day cemented his place as a rider people could support (& this followed through with his rivalry against Armstrong). Lance who for what it's worth 'touched upon' a semblance of popularity himself in the 2003 TdF when he had to work harder to win. For his sake, he should have lost (or even just quit after his 5th win).
Until then, Pog's ultra clean & carefully marketed "look, I'm just super happy to ride my bike with a smile on my face & play rock paper scissors for sh*ts & giggles whilst destroying everyone without a sweat" routine won't get him far anywhere other than among really young audiences who're addicted to record breaking superpowers in all sports. First Indurain was supposed to be the rarest most extraordinary talent ever, then Lance Armstrong was the GOAT, then Contador was even better, then Froome proved 'human evolution' (lololol), Bilharzia (GTFO!) & marginal gains could make a rider destroy the Ventoux like it's a vulgar 4th cat col. Now we have Pog.
That's a lot of supermen in merely 30 years of bike riding.
I'll post in the clinic though because that's literally my point: a cleanly presented, tightly packaged super performer who explodes onto the scene & smashes everyone with ease no matter the terrain (Strade, the TdF, Lombardia & he almost won Flanders ffs!) is never going to elicit an immediate outpouring of love, support & enthusiasm - not in this sport. How could he? UAE would be tone deaf to imagine their product could become Mr. Popularity when each & everyone of his "super performer" forefathers in the sport had his hand in the Pot belge. Add his boss Gianetti on top & voilà, a hilarious picture which demands suspension of disbelief like a Marvel movie.
Maybe it's unfair on Pogacar but the bottom line is cycling (long before all the revelations about the how & why all its champions performed extraordinary feats was revealed) is a sport which champions overcoming adversity & suffering. Not Dragon Ball Z characters.
It's a sport where the image of Luis Ocaña's 1971 crash is as iconic (more so, perhaps) than any watts demolition of the Alpine & Pyrenean summits by its super performers (& wonder boys). It's not football where a man who score hattricks after hattricks becomes a legend. It demands something more from its champions, aka the aforementioned suffering & human factor which makes it all so relatable. Just my opinion but Pogacar won't be a popular legend until he becomes human. This might be next month, next year, or never. It's not getting loldropped on the Ventoux last year which will make a difference either (despite UAE's spin about Pog 'suffering' on that day), no, Pog needs something like Ullrich's Les Deux Alpes 1998 disaster before 'the people' see him as a real champion.
Ullrich who of course was a super doper (aren't they all to various extents?) but that one sh*t day followed by an attack & win the next day cemented his place as a rider people could support (& this followed through with his rivalry against Armstrong). Lance who for what it's worth 'touched upon' a semblance of popularity himself in the 2003 TdF when he had to work harder to win. For his sake, he should have lost (or even just quit after his 5th win).
Until then, Pog's ultra clean & carefully marketed "look, I'm just super happy to ride my bike with a smile on my face & play rock paper scissors for sh*ts & giggles whilst destroying everyone without a sweat" routine won't get him far anywhere other than among really young audiences who're addicted to record breaking superpowers in all sports. First Indurain was supposed to be the rarest most extraordinary talent ever, then Lance Armstrong was the GOAT, then Contador was even better, then Froome proved 'human evolution' (lololol), Bilharzia (GTFO!) & marginal gains could make a rider destroy the Ventoux like it's a vulgar 4th cat col. Now we have Pog.
That's a lot of supermen in merely 30 years of bike riding.
Well nobody could have foreseen Pogacar evolved in less than a year from a good U23 Promise to going to the pro's by probably increasing his power output by 0.5-0.8W/kg. (going from riding top places in U23 to winning big races... is not a minor evolution in one year).
What i found by surfing (because i don't really follow the U23):
I don't think it really matters if you are liked or not. As long as you don't win a 6th tour, the french will probably give you some slack. (was the same with Lance Armstrong, Still the only one that has gotten his tour victories ripped despite those before and after him also provably on the same stuff).
The only comfort we have is that he is a much nicer to watch than Froome. Although his pluck of hair sticking out will become a meme as well.
What i found by surfing (because i don't really follow the U23):
I don't think it really matters if you are liked or not. As long as you don't win a 6th tour, the french will probably give you some slack. (was the same with Lance Armstrong, Still the only one that has gotten his tour victories ripped despite those before and after him also provably on the same stuff).
The only comfort we have is that he is a much nicer to watch than Froome. Although his pluck of hair sticking out will become a meme as well.
Dr Ferrari called it salto di qualita - a strong improvement in performance of young cyclists at some stage. Obviously we all know what Ferrari was doing but if you analyse performances of the best cyclists in history most of them had a breakthrough season (usually at a young age) when they became much better than earlier. Clinic aside, it's mostly down to physical development and change of training regime, I guess. I would say breakthrough seasons at an older age are more suspicious.
Pog is just more adorable than previous TdF superstars (except Contador maybe). This will change in a few years as "history never repeats itself but it often rhymes".
I don't know.
I think that ITT was pretty useless due to the changeable conditions. The fact Pog was much faster in the second half (with all the tight corners & cobbles) does say the conditions were getting a bit better. Just my opinion but I consider that stage to be a total... washout. All that should be noted is the fact the usual specialists are all condensed in the same time or thereabouts.
Pog is such a "special" rider I'll reserve the nuclear definition for when he really drops the bomb. Until then, patience.
I think that ITT was pretty useless due to the changeable conditions. The fact Pog was much faster in the second half (with all the tight corners & cobbles) does say the conditions were getting a bit better. Just my opinion but I consider that stage to be a total... washout. All that should be noted is the fact the usual specialists are all condensed in the same time or thereabouts.
Pog is such a "special" rider I'll reserve the nuclear definition for when he really drops the bomb. Until then, patience.
I wasn't posting specifically regarding Pog's time versus Ganna.
Ganna looks like he flunked it. I mean he's usually a bit faster than WvA? Right? Well it just didn't click for him today.
I mean I'm probably one of the first to jump in here & go "wow wtf!", but I saw Roglic (for example) take the corners in the second half really, really carefully & 'only' lose 9 seconds versus Pog. Vingegaard pushed a little harder meanwhile.
It's not breaking news to have Pog so high (pardon the pun). But in this instance, nah, we're nowhere near 2020 Planche levels (which is real nuclear radioactive stuff).
We should probably keep in mind that Pog was slower than Yves Lampaert today. Thought I heard or read that Ganna had a tire losing air, also.
None of that comes close to the dispelling the ridiculousness of pog's performance. MvdP, WvA and Yves don't surprise me at all.
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