Renaat Schotte analyzes Tadej Pogacar's dominance at Giro d'Italia: "For example, you saw on the Monte Grappa that he did not have to ride at 100 percent"
Cycling
What Tadej Pogacar achieved at this Giro d'Italia will go down in the history books whether you like the Slovenian or not. Just to give you an idea, Pogacar's final advantage over second place Daniel Martínez, 9:56, was the largest difference since Vittorio Adorni's victory in 1965.
Sporza's reporter Renaat Schotte does not want to detract from Pogacar's supremacy, but does state that the competition was not great in Italy. "It was what it was. There is an age difference, third Geraint Thomas turned 38. For Daniel Martínez it is a fantastic achievement to finish second in the Giro."
Some people accused Martinez and especially Thomas of being too defensive. Schotte disagrees. "They are not of the caliber of Vingegaard, Evenepoel or Roglic. I would turn it around and say that Pogacar was simply too strong and rides in a different category. It is a matter of intelligence. Every rider knows what he can and cannot do. So I certainly wouldn't accuse the competition of a lack of initiative or willingness to attack."
The lack of competition allowed Pogacar to take it 'relatively easy'. That is in quotes, because Pogi will also have to recover from the three weeks of cycling through Italy, but Schotte also saw that it did not seem that the Slovenian had to go all out to defend his lead.
"For example, you saw on the Monte Grappa that he did not have to ride at 100 percent. He can complete such a stage at 95 percent and those percentages ensure that he has to recover less. This leaves more for the crucial month of July."
"We lack information from the inside. But I have the impression that he has not overused his powers," Schoote reckons. "The differences between the other riders on stage were too great for that."
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- Roglic could not have won anyway, after Jonas followed him when Roglic decided it was his turn for a stage win. Jonas had already attacked Kuss twice, so it was Jonas who was within seconds of taking the lead before Kuss was 'gifted' the win. It felt a bit like Roglic was being thrown under the bus when the team made his unhappiness public.Hills3314-11-2026
- POG1, another nice doc about our favourite, I watched most of it with a big smile on my face (except for the bits about his crashes 😢 obvs!).Lozza14-11-2026
- Martinez had a good year! 5th at the Tour was a great result for him, albeit largely through getting in successful breaks, but he held it better than Pidcock who’d done the same.Lozza14-11-2026
- guess what Valgren, you're 34, and no you're not good enough. sorry to say.mij14-11-2026
- I'm a sepp fan and like to think he earned that LOL, indulge me : ) I think Jonas was fine. Roglic did not want to concede to Sepp. and I don't think you ever attack your own teammate in the leaders jersey if he is holding his own, which Sepp just about was.mij14-11-2026
- enough time? he's 24 years old. He's won 10 races over the last 2 years and some are significant. I won't argue about his attitude being good - it needs to improve. But with some coaching and mentorship he has a lot of winning ahead of him and has plenty of time to win a GT. I don't think he will ever beat Tadej, but everyone else is fair game Look at Mas and Valverde - they were 31 and 29, respectively, when they won the Vuelta.mij14-11-2026
- Pogacar has a fine head on his shoulders.Careful investments and a couple of coffee shops sounds like a wonderful way to chill after an intense career.Stay healthy GOAT.
Brucegel14-11-2026 - I live in Maribor.PogiSloFans14-11-2026
- I live in Ljubljana and often go on trips in the surrounding area, where I frequently see young cyclists in 'Pogi Team' jerseys training, either alone or in groups. By simply motivating so many young people to take up cycling, Tadej has already achieved something truly significant.Velijo14-11-2026
- That's an excellent point. It's interesting that Vader came to that realization only after he learned that his contract wasn't going to be renewed.
santiagobenites14-11-2026
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Tadej Pogacar won Il Giro by 9 min 56 sec on the 2nd placed rider, the biggest gap since 1965. RoboBasso has been defeated! 😱 Source: L'Equipe #GirodItalia
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