Ex-pro analyzes Tadej Pogacar's outing in UAE Tour breakaway: "He is making the waters around him very murky for his rivals"
Cycling
Lesson from this year's UAE Tour? Never expect the "flat" stages to be actually boring. The protagonist of Friday's stage 5 was none else than the provisional leader - Tadej Pogacar. Along with his Slovenian teammate Domen Novak, the world champion embarked on a breakaway adventure that left most experts scratching their heads. Real purpose of this attack? Who knows...
"The guy just loves bike racing and views it as enjoyable as most of us view our weekly group ride. I truly believe this is one factor why he continues to improve with every year. The reality is many of his rivals look at training and racing as 'work' and feel the burden of performance. He clearly enjoys the training and the racing as well as striving to become better more than most," analyzes ex-pro Tom Danielson in his X post.
Of course it's not only impatience or some lack on tactical side. According to the American, attacks like today's are what makes Pogacar so hard to read for his opponents.
"I think Tadej wants everyone to know 'you actually have no clue.' While this move and yesterday’s attack were on impulse, I believe he wants to send the message of 'you think you know, but you have no idea.' Let’s face it, this guy is smart and knows people are trying to copy him to get closer. He is making the waters around him very murky for his rivals."
As for Pogacar himself, he probably never quite dug deep anyways. "While it started as a joke I think he likely mentally placed the effort in the 'training' category. With 11 riders and a teammate he was able to keep the overall effort low with short explosive zone work with the short pulls and sprints with much of it below 'zone 2.' Think of your perfect Saturday group ride!"
Danielson also appreciates that the Slovenian work with the other escapees without any exceptions despite it would have been completely understandable if he just sat back.
"He continues to be 'the boss' of the peloton, but the boss who rolls up the sleeves and works alongside of you. Actions like this show he is in charge, but he stays humble alongside the riders always pulling and working with them. He could have easily sat on in the jersey with a teammate there. Tadej always clearly creates his 'advantage' over the others instead of taking advantage of the others’ misfortunes."
Read also
My thoughts on Tadej’s breakaway on stage 5 of the UAE Tour:
— tom danielson (@tomdanielson) February 21, 2025
1. The guy just loves bike racing and views it as enjoyable as most of us view our weekly group ride. I truly believe this is one factor why he continues to improve with every year. The reality is many of his rivals…
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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