“He made it look so effortless” – Geraint Thomas marvels at Pogacar’s crushing Dauphine win

Tadej Pogacar delivered a performance of frightening dominance at the Critérium du Dauphiné, winning three stages and the general classification with apparent ease, all while rarely rising from the saddle. The UAE Team Emirates – XRG leader didn’t just win, he made his rivals look ordinary, including two time Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard, who was dropped on multiple occasions by a seated Pogacar.

It was, bar a muted time trial, a week of near total control and a stark warning to his competitors ahead of the 2025 Tour de France, which starts on July 5. In current form, Pogacar appears unstoppable in his quest for a fourth yellow jersey.

His performance has not gone unnoticed in the peloton. Speaking on his podcast, The Geraint Thomas Cycling Club, the 2018 Tour winner admitted he was stunned by the Slovenian’s level. “Someone who’s active in the sport, let’s put it that way, and who was there, sent me a message saying Pogacar was riding 7.2 watts per kilo over twenty minutes,” Thomas revealed. “I thought about it for a second. When I was at my absolute best, I could maybe hold that for six, maybe seven minutes. It’s insane.”

Thomas described the effort as so smooth it bordered on deceptive. “You could see it too, he made it look so effortless,” he said. “If you were watching, you’d think: why is everyone dropping off? Just stay on his wheel, he’s not even attacking.”

But the damage Pogacar inflicted came not from sharp accelerations, but from relentless tempo, high wattage delivered with surgical calm. In both stage races he has targeted this season, the UAE Tour and the Dauphiné, he has been almost untouchable in the mountains.

As for Thomas, the former Tour winner began the Tour de Suisse in good spirits, aiming to sharpen form before his final Tour de France. However, a crash on stage three towards Heiden forced his withdrawal. He complained of knee and hamstring pain, and INEOS Grenadiers opted to err on the side of caution, pulling him before stage four.

Despite the setback, Thomas is expected to recover in time for his Tour swansong. His role this year will likely be one of experience and support, rather than outright GC contention, as INEOS attempts to find relevance in a Grand Tour increasingly defined by the Pogacar-Vingegaard rivalry. But, who wouldn’t love to see G pick up a Tour stage win in his farewell?