"I would hate to race against him" - Lance Armstrong expecting Tadej Pogacar to continue dominance at the Tour de France
Cycling
Tadej Pogacar ran out a comprehensive winner at the 2024 Giro d'Italia. Will the UAE Team Emirates leader be able to continue that good form into the upcoming Tour de France however, remains to be seen. According to Lance Armstrong, it could be a similar result.
"It really looked like a training lap at times. Only in Livigno did he seem to go slightly over the limit," the American says of Pogacar's second-gear dominance at the Giro d'Italia, on his podcast 'The Move' alongside his former team boss, Johan Bruyneel. "Everywhere he starts he wants to win. I would hate to race against him."
"He really won the Giro on one leg. Jonas Vingegaard has only five weeks to be ready for the Tour.... That will be very difficult," Armstrong continues, doubtful the likes of Primoz Roglic and Remco Evenepoel will be able to step up and challenge Pogacar, with the reigning Maillot Jaune facing a race against time. "He can sprint, climb, over cobbles, time trial. Has a great team. Only bad luck can stop him. His values are from another planet."
In total, Pogacar finished the Giro with six stage wins and a winning margin of just short of ten minutes from second placed Daniel Martinez. "Winning that many stages is almost impossible. Only if one man stands out in the sprints, four or five stages is usually possible. But six for a classification rider?" Armstrong analyses, incredibly impressed.
Bruyneel himself was more than impressed although not surprised. "I think he won six because he only wanted to win six," the Belgian says. "It's sad for the competition in the Giro, but that dominance was impressive. I have seen a lot of statements about it being boring. But Pogacar is just the best rider out there. Besides, there were no riders from the top ranks competing. Dani Martinez and Geraint Thomas are third in line in terms of quality with their teams INEOS Grenadiers and BORA - hansgrohe. He rode against the lower garnish. His dominance was logical."
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Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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