"People underestimate how much pressure is on his shoulders" - Tadej Pogacar dealing with expectations incredibly well says Renaat Schotte

Having amassed the biggest first rest day advantage seen at the Giro d'Italia in recent years, Tadej Pogacar already has a buffer of 2:40 in the fight for the Maglia Rosa after the opening 9 stages.

"He was a bit irritated at first, but he has now loosened up a bit," analyses Sporza expert Renaat Schotte.  "People sometimes underestimate how much pressure is on his shoulders. You may be a superman on the bike, but you have to prove it again and again. Since he won the pink jersey, he has become a little looser every day. No one would have blamed him yesterday if he had held back in the sprint. The fact that he gets involved in that nervous fuss for Molano says it all. As an emotional rider, he also wants to mean something to his teammates."

In the opening week, a third of the first 9 stages have gone Pogacar's way. With 12 days of racing still to go at the 2024 Giro d'Italia, how many more can the UAE Team Emirates leader realistically get? "It's just racing enthusiasm. If he sees an opportunity to win a stage, he just goes for it. He is a super strong rider," Schotte says. "In his head it is simply: the more stage wins, the better. He is now at 3 out of 9, that is a great score. And he can easily win 3 or 4 more."

"Moreover, he was able to do it all quite economically. He did not achieve his stage victories at the expense of super-major efforts," the expert concludes. "In the gravel stage, for example, he could have gone for it. He was tempted, but he still held back. He makes a well-reasoned impression. That's the great thing. He still holds back and yet he already has such a lead."