"It’s easy to respect someone who is as transparent and authentic as Tadej Pogacar" - American ex-pro notes love of GP Montreal winner from rivals

After a short break from racing following his Tour de France triumph earlier this summer, Tadej Pogacar didn't take long to get back to his brilliant best, soloing to victory at the 2024 GP Montreal in typically dominant fashion.

With the Zurich World Championships looming, Pogacar would've wanted to send a message and he certainly did so. American ex-pro and former Vuelta a Espana stage winner, Tom Danielson was watching the action unfold in Canada and took to his official X (Twitter) account afterwards to voice his delight at Pogacar's performance.

"The long range attack continues to work for Pogacar. While it is extremely difficult it is the right combination for his ability. The shorter climbs make it difficult for him to get much distance despite doing considerably more power than the others," begins the 46-year-old former Garmin Sharp rider's analysis. "UAE did a great job making the race hard on each agent whittling the group down, but more importantly, making it so the teams behind did not have the numbers to organize a chase. With Pogacar going with two laps to go, there were just enough favorites there to have a solid group, but not with teammates who could close the gap so they then could jump across the gap. Instead, we saw the group of favorites repeatedly attack each other. After each attack the group would slow and the time gap would go up again in Pogacar’s favor."

The considered thinking of Pogacar under pressure was also something that caught Danielson's eye. "If you watched Pogacar’s stomach (respiration rate) when he attacked and stretched out the gap you can see how intensely deep he had to go to get the gap. While this is impressive, more impressive is the fact that he had this much glycogen left in his storages. This supports the obvious fact that his zones are a step above everyone else," he continues. "Pogacar continues to make a clear effort to hydrate, fuel, and cool his core temperature. During his solo effort he prioritized getting the bottle out and taking time to drink a considerable amount. This is extremely difficult at this intensity, this late in the race, with these high stakes. Pogacar was covered in salt, as were the others, showing how hard and hot the race was."

"Another tactic Pogacar did well was pedalling as much of the course as he could," Danielson adds. "While this might seem obvious, riders typically try to rest before and in turns, on sections of downhill that you can pedal, and on the flatter sections of the climb. Tadej pedalled through most of the corners by taking wider entries and straighter lines through the apexes. He also kept the pressure on every time the road tilted downwards, which is hard to do."

Finally, Danielson also noted the clear respect Pogacar garners from the rest of the peloton. "Pretty unique to see a solo winner like Pogacar high five the crowd ala Sepp Kuss as he approaches the finish line. Even more unique was seeing the riders from all different teams, who had dropped out, run to the side of the road and also high five him," he concludes. "It’s easy to respect someone who is as transparent and authentic as Pogacar is. I think this is something this new generation of champions is doing very well."