"Look, there's a good possibility he could win like eight stages" #GirodItalia How many do you think Tadej Pogacar will win at the Giro d'Italia?
"He could win the climbers jersey, the points jersey... he could win the whole lot" - Tadej Pogacar set for Giro d'Italia domination predicts Christian Vande Velde
CyclingSaturday, 04 May 2024 at 10:29
With Tadej Pogacar starting his Giro d'Italia debut tomorrow, the UAE Team Emirates leader is widely expected to claim the Maglia Rosa and according to ex-pro turned NBC analyst, Christian Vande Velde, Pogacar could completely dominate.
"Look, there's a good possibility he could win like eight stages," the 47-year-old American, who rode the Giro d'Italia six times during his own career, previews via the 'Beyond the Podium' podcast for NBC Sports Cycling. "There's a very high probability! He could win the climbers jersey, the points jersey... he could win the whole lot! It's going to be fun to watch."
Pogacar himself contested such claims of dominance in his pre-race press conference, calling out analysts for their disrespectful comments in regards to the rest of the riders in the race. “That's shit, and not nice. It is not respectful to the other riders. It's not all just about me and UAE Emirates," slammed the Slovenian.
Nevertheless, Vande Velde insists the race is all about Pogacar. "It's not as hard of a race. I believe I read there is 11,000 less metres of climbing than last year," he assesses, something that could actually help Pogacar in his quest for a Giro d'Italia/Tour de France. "A lot easier on the body as well."
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- Il faut une enquête antidopage complète sur (au moins) PogacarFredoFredo07-11-2024
- Le mec était hyper chargéFredoFredo07-11-2024
- Ca continue avec l'équipe UAEFredoFredo07-11-2024
- C'est Evenepoel qui a gagné cette courseFredoFredo07-11-2024
- the “cloud of shame” thing has a lot to do with the cycling world’s REACTION to a doped rider, not simply whether or not they doped. merckx got caught over and over, but clearly no cloud of shame affixed by cycling culture to him. same with countless tdf champions and other legends i won’t list again at risk of belaboring the point.OCexile07-11-2024
- He was supposed to race Tour + Vuelta, but since Pogacar and Vingegaard are going there, he changed to Giro + Tour (just to try to win the yellow jersey at the 1st week and the ITT probably). Against Roglic he has a bit more chances in Italy. Press will consider him as the favourite anyways, as usual. Other contenders not to underestimate will be Ayuso and Jorgenson. Now he's just waiting to see how many kilometers the ITTs will have. to formalize his participation.Acapulco07-11-2024
- Oh look. CUD leans into another doper for commentary. Hey guys - there are other people to talk to... You know... people who didn't leave the sport in a cloud of shame...critguy07-11-2024
- Its results will mainly depend on him, though.Acapulco07-11-2024
- He needs a team fully commited where he is the lone capable of winning. In RBB there is several men who can, he would have been in competition.Acapulco07-11-2024
- agreed. and in spite of his doping, his TDF win was validated by the UCI with the mere addition of an asterisk.OCexile07-11-2024