"I tried to get him to our team as a prospect" - Tadej Pogacar almost joined Visma over UAE according to Merijn Zeeman
CyclingSunday, 21 July 2024 at 16:00
Tadej Pogacar has been the biggest adversary of Team Visma | Lease a Bike over the last few years. When the Slovenian was breaking through the youth ranks however, he was actually almost a Visma rider according to the team's sports director Merijn Zeeman.
"We heard that he was a special talent. Then I looked through Primoz Roglic, his compatriot, to see who he was and whether we could get in touch with him," Zeeman recalls of his first experience of Pogacar, in conversation with NOS. "I tried to get him to our team as a prospect, but by then he had already signed with UAE Team Emirates. We did have him on our radar."
"You know that such a talent will continue to ride there," Zeeman continues, admitting that once UAE Team Emirates got their hands on Pogacar there was simply no chance the Slovenian would be making the move to Visma. "Besides that we had Primoz and we have Jonas Vingegaard. You just focus on the guys you have."
After denying the then named Jumbo-Visma and Primoz Roglic a first Tour de France win in 2020 on the final time-trial, Pogacar saw off the challenge of Jonas Vingegaard in 2021 before finally Visma began to take control of the rivalry in 2022 and 2023 as Vingegaard went back to back at the Tour de France. In 2024 however, the momentum has switched again, with Pogacar back to his very best and reclaiming the Maillot Jaune in scintillating style.
Heading into the final stage individual time-trial where a potential 6th stage win of this Grand Tour could be awaiting, Pogacar leads Vingegaard by over five minutes in the general classification, breaking a number of records along the way and becoming the first man since Marco Pantani in 1998 to complete a Giro/Tour double.
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3 Comments
They can take Ayuso off of UAE. Should do absolute wonders for team cohesion at Visma.
When Marco Pantani is winning the Giro-Tour double. Tadej still in his mum belly almost two months before his emerge in the world.
It’s always interesting that individuals get listed as the winners but this Tour and the ‘22 Tour also get an asterisk because the teams weren’t what they should have been. Visma without Kuss? Vingegaard was going to struggle even if healthy. Pogacar without a team that was decimated by covid in ‘22? That allowed Visma to do the 1-2 on him that broke him. ‘23 Pogacar and ‘24 Vingegaard were both injured in ways that impacted training yet both got second. Amazing riders, and excellent sportsmanship between the two these past few stages.
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leedorney26-04-2025 - The conditions were difficult this time. Pogi is good in those conditions. Just because of two instances you wants to change the iconic finish doesn't make any sense. Valverde and Anna van der Breggen have also won multiple timesabstractengineer26-04-2025
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- Big-hearted young man. Kudos to him!mobk26-04-2025
- You mean Amstel not Flechefrieders326-04-2025
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- Cool for an 18y oldMistermaumau25-04-2025
- Looks like 70’s F1Mistermaumau25-04-2025
- The flaw in Flèche was Tadej getting drawn out by JA. He said he never expected to be alone that long. JA had one shot and that was it.mij25-04-2025