"I think we’re seeing the best-ever Tadej Pogacar" - Joxean Matxin lauds praise onto UAE Team Emirates leader
CyclingTuesday, 23 April 2024 at 20:30
In ten race days so far this year, it's six wins, a second-place and a third-place finish already for Tadej Pogacar, firmly asserting himself as the number one rider in the peloton today. Never more so was this on show than with the Slovenian's dominant victory at Liege-Bastogne-Liege last Sunday.
The worrying thing for the rest of the riders though, is the fact that with two Grand Tours still to come, Pogacar might not even be at his best level just yet. “When you are the number one ranked rider in the world, it’s not easy to improve on that but I think we’re seeing the best-ever Tadej Pogacar in every possible way,” UAE Team Emirates' sports manager Joxean Matxin says in conversation with La Gazzetta dello Sport.
With the Classics Spring over, Pogacar's attention now turns to the goal of becoming the first man since Marco Pantani to claim a Giro d'Italia/Tour de France double, a goal that seemed ambitious not so long ago but now is arguably odds on to happen.
The 2024 Giro d'Italia gets underway on May 2nd and with a major mountain finish at the Oropa Sanctuary coming as early as stage 2, there is possibility, Pogacar could wear the Maglia Rosa for almost the entirety of the race.
“You can’t hold back that day, a stage like that designs the GC standings and so the overall contenders can’t hide,” UAE Team Emirates team manager Mauro Gianetti previews of the stage to La Gazzetta dello Sport and giving an insight into the team's potential tactics. “The Maglia Rosa is the Maglia Rosa, if you let it go, you then have to get it back.”
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- Yates- when he is on - is pretty awesome to watch.
ScottG05-05-2025 - Jonas is afraid of crashing. That's not easy to shake. I think that fear has only gotten worse over the years.ScottG05-05-2025
- Healy will also be a contender in the hilly classics. That's it though.ScottG05-05-2025
- It remains a team sport, and either teams or injuries have determined the outcomes since 2022. In '22, UAE lost many team members due to covid, earlier than Jumbo Visma did, and that left Pogacar unprotected. In '23, Pogacar was injured at Liege, and that affected his training. In '24, Vingegaard was injured, Kuss and van Aert were a shadow of their '22 selves, and Roglic was gone from the team. So the question is, can Yates, Almeida, Novak, and the rest protect Pogacar, and will Kuss and the rest show up as they need to? Sure, it's the last climb that pits the two superstars against each other, and Pogacar (as we've seen with van der Poel) doesn't always win when he's got a challenger there. This year, if Vingegaard's concussion hasn't affected things too much, I think it will come down to the teams they bring.RidesHills05-05-2025
- I wonder if they meant "uphill sprinting like Roglic is known for." Probably not, but maybe?RidesHills05-05-2025
- Yates-Ayuso cage match? Could be interesting.mobk05-05-2025
- I don't know, maybe it's true when Blythe says "When Jonas is in top form, Tadej has never beaten him", but I think he should watch his mouth a bit.Ride197405-05-2025
- From what I've been seeing and reading Jonas is on great form. I expect a great Tour again this year. These guys are made to race against each other.awp05-05-2025
- Vingo is not injured, it is just not had a good preparation going for the Tour. Same as well Pogi in 2023.
James2631805-05-2025 - Just can’t slow down that girl ;-)Mistermaumau05-05-2025
I just hope he stays injury and illness free from now till the end of this year's cycling season, so that we can see what he can do at full potential.
I don’t think you will see that unless all his rivals are also free of illness and injury.
Like most of these guys keep repeating, they’d never be as good as they are if they didn’t have to push to keep up with competition.
Isn't that what everyone wishing him to stay healthy and injury free?
Pogi is hot favorite in my book!
A lot can happen during the Giro, but normally nobody can touch him. Predicting the rest of the podium is more interesting.
If he stays healthy and upright I don’t think any one in the Giro touches him. He can do a winning margin on a handful of mountain stages and then he can sit back a bit. He shouldn’t need to fight for bonus seconds like he was in the last TDF.
Of course it’s Pogi so likely he takes some risks and chases some “extra” stage wins
Considering the « competition « he could win this by half an hour if he wanted to but obviously he’s going to manage his efforts a minimum to avoid losing strength ahead of the TdF.
No idea what his strategy will be, could build a comfortable lead from the go and then relax or wait until later to focus on a couple of mountain stages to catch up.
In any case, he should have no problem arranging to stay in a safe spot out of the peleton so this will probably the least risky race of the season for a leader.
Agreed 1000%