“I find the beauty greater than the lack of suspense” – Tadej Pogacar’s dominance still beautiful to watch, says four-time Tour stage winner

As Tadej Pogacar prepares to return to racing at Strade Bianche, the world champion does so with a familiar conversation following him around the peloton.

In recent seasons Pogacar has not only won frequently, he has often done so in devastating fashion. Long distance attacks have repeatedly settled races far from the finish, leaving rivals scrambling behind and shifting the suspense of the finale away from who will win to who might still claim the remaining podium places.

For some observers, that pattern has fuelled a wider debate about whether such dominance risks draining tension from the sport’s biggest races. Former professional Erik Dekker, however, believes the opposite view deserves just as much attention.

Speaking to WielerFlits, the four-time Tour de France stage winner suggested Pogacar’s supremacy should be admired rather than questioned. “The supremacy of Pogacar – and also that of Mathieu van der Poel in the races that suit him, but with Pogacar it is even more extreme – there is a certain beauty in that.”

The discussion around Pogacar’s dominance is not simply about how often he wins, but about the way those victories unfold.

Again and again, the decisive moment arrives far earlier than expected. Pogacar launches an attack on a key climb or sector, drops the favourites, and then rides alone for long stretches towards the finish line.

That same dynamic has appeared even in races normally defined by tight tactical finales. Both the 2024 and 2025 editions of the UCI Road World Championships and the 2025 UCI European Road Championships were ultimately shaped by long-distance attacks that settled the outcome much earlier than such championship events traditionally do.

Dekker understands why that style of racing can leave fans wondering when someone might finally stop Pogacar. “But we are gradually reaching the point where we are ready for him to be beaten once in a while,” he said. “Because Pogacar seems to get stronger every year. I can imagine that the wider public might find that a pity.”

Yet for the Dutchman, the spectacle of watching such performances outweighs the loss of uncertainty. “I can’t go and pull on his saddle,” Dekker laughed. “But personally, I find the beauty greater than the lack of suspense.”

For Dekker, part of the fascination with the current generation lies in how dramatically the sport has evolved since his own career ended. “The essence of cycling is still the same,” he explained. “When we turn on the television, the first rider who goes from A to B is still the winner.”

Around that simple principle, however, the professional sport has changed enormously. “But around that, so much has changed. The budgets, the science, the way they train, the way they eat nowadays. That has changed enormously.”

Within that environment, riders capable of dominating entire periods of the sport occasionally emerge. Dekker believes Pogacar belongs firmly in that category. “There is now a rider like Pogacar who only comes along once every half century.”

The broader context, according to Dekker, is that modern cycling is increasingly shaped by a handful of extraordinary riders capable of winning across a wide range of races. “There always are surprises,” he said. “But the five, six, seven superstars in modern cycling really dictate everything.”

That concentration of talent also means those riders do not always face each other directly in the same races. “They also rarely end up in the same peloton where they all have to race for the victory.”

Even so, Dekker believes the balance of power will eventually change, as it always does in elite sport. “But every day we get a little closer to the moment when Pogacar is no longer the best rider in the world,” he said, before adding a note of caution. “Whether that will already be the case this season, I doubt it.”

For now, Dekker’s message to fans is simple. “They are great riders and I enjoy watching them.”

With Pogacar set to line up once again at Strade Bianche, that appreciation for excellence may soon be tested again. If recent seasons are any guide, the decisive moment in the race may come long before the finish line comes into view.