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If Pogacar was better 1v1 on a road bike on a flat road at equal fatigue levels he would not have won the road race by only 1'30.
Everything points to Pogacar being way better in hills and Evenepoel being way better on straight flats, with everything inbetween being mostly a case of "it depends".
The evidence for this is also fairly overwhelming, considering Pogacar has never crapped out solo's like the 2024 Olympics or 2022 WC where 90% of the solo is on flat terrain interrupted by a few short hills. Also, we saw it very literally in a H2H in Amstel, where Pogacar dropped Evenepoel on the few hard hills and Evenepoel then dragged himself back to him on the easier sections, before being unable to drop a tired Pogacar on the Cauberg.
Everything points to Pogacar being way better in hills and Evenepoel being way better on straight flats, with everything inbetween being mostly a case of "it depends".
The evidence for this is also fairly overwhelming, considering Pogacar has never crapped out solo's like the 2024 Olympics or 2022 WC where 90% of the solo is on flat terrain interrupted by a few short hills. Also, we saw it very literally in a H2H in Amstel, where Pogacar dropped Evenepoel on the few hard hills and Evenepoel then dragged himself back to him on the easier sections, before being unable to drop a tired Pogacar on the Cauberg.
- Mar 20, 2022
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I strongly disagree with this.
Firstly, Pogacar was solo in Kigali while Remco had the help of 4 riders (3/2 later). If Pogacar lost time on flats, it was tiny margins for sure, not more than 3/4".
In AGR, there a lot of circunstances that can explain why Pogacar was caught:
1 - Wind
2 - Skjelmose helping Remco (even if Remco was doing pulls 3x longer)
3 - PR
4 - Van Wilder did a wonderful job for many km to keep the gap under 40"
Maybe I'm wrong but I saw Pogacar putting more than 1' on flat terrain in GdL.
Do you remember 2025 RVV? Pogacar put 40" on MVP/Wout/Mads/Stuyven after Paterberg.
So yeah, after a hard race Pogacar can be a monster even on flat terrain.
- Sep 14, 2019
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It wasn't 1vs1 it was 4vs1 from 70km to last 16km.
Evenepoel wins on races up to 1hour.
- Mar 20, 2022
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What a performance. Hilarious how he arrived yesterday and still destroyed these fake TT riders. What a massacre this was.
They are not fake. He is just insanely strong.
Now I'm curious how on earth was Pogacar just 16 secs off him in the Tour flat TT?
- Mar 20, 2022
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Remco wasn't at his best IMO (15-20" slower than his best version) and Pogacar is a different beast when he practises his TT.
GdL 2024, RVV 2023 and 2025. Kigali alone 67 kilometers, actually more because Del Toro was a burden for a long time.
@Red Rick He also lost time on the final climbs at Amstel. Is he also bad at climbing due to that day? 🙄He was cooked by PR, like at Le Lioran. He would have lost time on the flat, climbing, or descending.
Remco lost time with him last year in Lombardy in the flat. Does that mean Remco is bad on the flats? 😅That's what you conclude from an Amstel. Most races say otherwise.
There is no monument that Pogacar has lost due to a supposed problem on the flat. In some cases he has gained time...
.
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Here's the thing: with more reliable information on gaps(?) where should a solo rider put out the most effort? The answer is simple: on the hardest parts of the course where chasers tend to go into survival mode until they are back into territory where they feel more comfortable. Particularly if the lead gap was made on a hilly terrain. It's the best energy-expenditure plan if you can manage it.
A good soloist will ride a hill below max but hard enough to, theoretically; distance followers but not waste too much energy on downhills. That changes as the solo rider gets closer to the finish, of course. If you are stronger you'll maintain or increase the gap until the followers start to yield to fighting for lesser places. Seems like Tadej does it consistently. Remco can as well.
- May 22, 2024
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flat isnot same as tt.large part of remoc talent is in that eggshape,means nothing outside of tts.
Here, an isolated example, like Amstel, was used, but he was also failing on the climbs. When you're cooked, you fail on everything; it's not a question of the terrain, it's a question of being cooked.
Lioran's example is a good one. Pogacar lost a lot of time in last climb and the sprint against Vingegaard, something unusual.That's synonymous with being cooked, not that he's suddenly a slow cyclist. Pogacar has beaten Vingegaard in most of sprint, an isolated instance due to being cooked does not make him slower.
Amstel example is an example of being cooked, not an example of him being bad on the flat.
That day, he also lost time on the final climb. In Lioran, he also lost time, and it was the only stage. This is what happens when a rider is cooked, either due to a previous race or poor nutrition; they will fail on any terrain.
But when he´s won 8 Monuments and 2 World Championships, and in none of them has the flat been a problem for them to maintain the lead, I think it's clear that he doesn't have a problem on the flat when it's a road race and on a road bike.
Pogacar's problem is the time trial bike. He hates it and only trains on it before GT races. But this isn't a conclusion; he's always said he doesn't like it.
He tends to use the gravel bike more when he rides with Mathews than the time trial bike.... It's his biggest flaw, and he doesn't seem inclined to improve it much, except when forced before GT races.
But when he takes a road bike, he's not a rider who's ever had a problem riding alone.
And I think that in shorter races, Pogacar is also good on the flat. Always talking about a road race on a road bike.
Honestly, I think Pogacar isn't dropeed by Remco like Madouas and most other cyclists. And not all of them drop out because they're not as good on the flat; it's more a matter of physical exhaustion. Pogacar, riding on Remco's wheel wouldn't have so many problems in a road race.
In fact, it's very significant that, despite he was coocked in Amstel, Pogacar wasn't dropped and was fighting for the win. It's very difficult to drop Pogacar on the flat, not even on one of his worst days of the year did they dropped him.
- Apr 3, 2009
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Made it look easy. Honestly almost seemed like a joke to him. Wild.
- Jul 31, 2024
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Remco has improved his sprinting last 2 seasons, Pogacar sprinting remained the same.
I've seen Pogacar sprint on the flat, and remco sprint on the flat. On the flat they are about equal these days.
Uphill advantage is pogacar. If you find this hard to understand, i wonder if you actually been watching races.
A pity they showed so little of Remco (& Ganna). Guess 5G was acting up. He went a lot faster up that midpoint hill than Ganna did. remco flew up there. Was not expecting the difference to be this big. Thought it was gonna be a nailbiter. Guess i'm underestimating TT Remco (even with wind and slight climbs in his favour).
If you look closely, Tadej has a superior sprint on all terrains. Remco will lose 10/10.
- Aug 31, 2019
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Pogi lost one time to Vingegaard last year, so I would say 9/10. it’s alsways something strange happening 1/10 times.
- Feb 21, 2019
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Super dominant win today, for me Remco is already the best TT rider since Indurain, before that is difficult to compare because one day TTs were not a thing.
What is even scary is that among current riders I don't see who could challenge him in an average TT route for the next couple of years, he is a level above Ganna and two levels above guys like Vine or Tarling.
What is even scary is that among current riders I don't see who could challenge him in an average TT route for the next couple of years, he is a level above Ganna and two levels above guys like Vine or Tarling.
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Yeah, strange things can happen. Pogi can beat Mathieu in a flat sprint.
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- Sep 12, 2022
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69 v. 23. So still a very very long way to go. But there were just more ITT's in the time of Eddy Merckx.
Eddy Merckx would never be overtaken by Evenepoel though.
- Jun 17, 2024
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He's literally perfection in TT. Indeed, it looked like a joke to him, as hes two levels above everyone else. Reminds me of a certain someone when it comes to RR.
His TT position is so incredible, it's impossible to imagine anyone getting near him in the next five years.
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