“Before, we did things without
meaning. We added kilometres for the sake of adding them, and that was a
mistake,” Ullrich said. “In my time, we could jump to professional level at 24;
today, that's too late. Everything has changed.”
Pogacar, 26, is on course for his
fourth Tour de France title next month and has already conquered two Monuments
this spring, Liège–Bastogne–Liège and the Tour of Flanders, a feat unthinkable
for most GC riders in Ullrich’s era. But it was the manner of Pogacar’s sprint
win in the Dauphiné that most surprised Ullrich, where he beat Mathieu van der
Poel, Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel.
“I couldn't believe it,
fascinating, that Pogacar won in the sprint surprised me. I would never have
thought that. Pantani or I would never have opted to go for the sprint, I never
practiced it, we didn't have the speed.”
Ullrich’s comments underline the
all-terrain dominance now expected of modern GC leaders, from solo mountain raids to uphill sprints and
cobbled classics. Pogacar’s versatility, both in terrain and racing style, has
redefined expectations of what a Grand Tour champion should look like.
Ullrich also touched on how
today’s racing dynamics are shaped by a far more aggressive peloton and
relentless pace-setting. “We didn't have that speed; today, every team pushes
hard and far from the finish line. In our time, it was only the interested teams,”
he said. “Today's domestiques are powerhouses that go 50 km/h or more. It's
attractive to watch, but it's too much for me.”
With his Dauphiné triumph coming a
month after his third Liege win, Pogacar’s Tour de France preparations appear
right on track. He starts the race on July 5 as the undisputed favourite for
another yellow jersey, with not just his rivals, but even past champions
struggling to believe what they’re seeing. But can anyone stop him from romping
clear again?