Tadej Pogacar complemented by Pedro Delgado: "Given his physical superiority, basically he can do what he wants"
Cycling
Tadej Pogacar is arguably the strongest pro cyclist at the moment in the sport and certainly the superior Grand Tour specialist. Almost everything he touched in 2024 turned to gold and in 2025 this could be similar if he maintains his level. Spanish legend Pedro Delgado backs him up to dominate the Vuelta a España this year if he races.
"Assuming he takes part, anything barring a victory in the Vuelta would be a surprise for him and for his team. If he's racing in the lead in the third week, it'd be up to the others to make the extra effort and Tadej could take it conservatively. So I don't think that riding the Vuelta would affect him too badly, if at all, for the Worlds," Delgado shared in words to Cyclingnews.
It is all but confirmed, but fully assumed that the Slovenian will finally return to the Spanish Grand Tour this year to try and complete his Grand Tour trilogy. After winning the Giro d'Italia last year and looking like he'd be willing to race all three Grand Tours, then there's little doubt that he can handle two at the top level.
The 2025 World Championships in Rwanda suit him very well and could see Pogacar look to take a very specific approach towards them, but Delgado believes that he can do the Tour and Vuelta without sacrificing his top level for the worlds.
"His rivals would be getting more and more tired trying to attack him in the last part of the Vuelta, but as he'd be riding within himself, he'd actually be recovering. That last week doesn't have to become an extra, specially tiring, effort."
"When you're young too, you recover quicker. At 30 or 32 you need 20 days instead of 10 days to recover from a Grand Tour. So most likely, again Pogacar would have had to make a lesser effort than the rest of the top contenders. With two weeks, he's got more than sufficient time, he wouldn't need to train - and then he'd become the big favourite at the Worlds once again."
Delgado is very positive that there truly is no real barrier in the way of the Slovenian, who captured the rainbow jersey last fall in Zurich. Next year's course is difficult but very different, but still it should be adapted very well to a rider who can only not outsprint the very best. "The biggest challenge in the 2025 Worlds will be the altitude, but these days the majority of the riders are really accustomed to that, because they train so much in the high mountains. Adapting won't be so hard for them."
As for the Vuelta, which he should race in 2025, there is also not a route that would prevent Pogacar from being the main favourite - if that even is possible at the moment. "The only way to have made it really complicated for him would be if there were only flat stages, an idea which doesn't really form part of the usual Vuelta narrative,"
"It's not specially favourable for Pogačar, either, even with the Angliru. But that doesn't matter. Given his physical superiority, basically he can do what he wants," the Spaniard shrugs. "And that's the big difference. I don't think he'd wait for the Angliru to attack, either. As soon as the race hits the Pyrenees [on stage 6], he'll go for it.
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Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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