I've never seen Pog rated higher than right now. It's like a fever has taken over everyone since the Giro & he's ascended to godly dimensions. Every piece of information from the rider, his entourage & his team leads people (aka press, influencers & followers) to one conclusion only: he's better than he's ever been before.
I think it's all... too good to be true. This sport has a way of dragging people back down to earth. The French call it "se voir trop beau".
We'll see but IMO Pog won't win this thing with a 5 minute advantage. There will be a fight. This is the Tour, aka that one race where I'm sure everyone is ready & I'm also sure everyone has caught-up a little bit more since 2023.
Sure, all the contenders are there and they are obviously much better than Giro competition. I've never said Pog would win with 5+ minutes advantage, mind you. But there are signs that he could have advantage particularly in the first part of the Tour (due to prolonging/even finetuning his red hot form the Giro) vs rivals who can be still a bit off their best (due to various reasons). And weather forecasts for Galibier stage are getting shittier with each update. Pog has to capitalize on every chance there is. Last race weekend is another story though, I have zero confidence about his form then.