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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- You’re both right but also both (me too) biased by this endless indoctrination through the expectations of others (no cyclist is worth mentioning without a tdf legacy) and sorry Fred but the part about him having to win the whole thing is misguided, Cavendish is venerated by most and he might not have even reached 50th in the how many editions he did (about double Merckxs). As rightly said Mathieu rides for HIMSELF (aside obligations) take it or leave it, I really don’t think he (and most others, even Cav or Pog) lie around in bed at night worrying or strategising about how to cement a place in history. We are lucky to witness a period where some of the best cyclists are (aside from money) motivated in the right way, you can often see in the authentic way they celebrate crossing the line after a huge effort, MVDPs are some of the best, 100% dedication, my favourite was the communion with his grandfather when he won that stage, it was visibly (worth seeing again if available) so powerful, I even think the only reason he tried the TdF at all (he’d never really shown any interest personally and I’m pretty sure it was a business “obligation” was in hommage to his grandfather who meant so much to him. Once done I think he realised he doesn’t enjoy it (should he (any of us actually) force himself to do a job he isn’t enjoying?) and saw no more reason to continue but being open he accepted to try something new, lead-out man and did it admirably. His riding career has now probably “peaked” and he’ll want to focus on those things personally still important before it’s too late and leads to regrets. I am sure he’ll regret his luck/carelessness at Olympics more than anything TdF related and among future goals, that will be his number 1 rectification target and sorry for those TdF obsessors (who often watch nothing else all year) but for many the Olympics are more important than eg the Tour, no matter what the majority of cycling thinks, and they have that right.Mistermaumau08-01-2025
- To MVDP, even if he wins 10 stages of the TDF, if he can't be overall champion (GC), he still loses.. so he thinks he has nothing to gain. He'd rather win a hundred minor races than frustrate himself trying to win the grandest race of them all. The mindset of a winner, you say? Maybe, but I don't think so. Nevertheless, he's a great cyclist. Monuments and classics, one-day races are his thing. He can ride a one-day 300 km race and win it, but a 3,500 km race spread over 21 days? Forget it.. he can win a stage or two, wear the yellow jersey for a day or two, (no mean feat, by the way) and finish in 50th place just the same, not even good enough for a podium, and he doesn't like it. To him, it's a waste of time.FredMan08-01-2025
- i’m with you on this… ALL IN for the xco world’s. a legacy of World Champion in four disciplines. that’s one for the ages…OCexile08-01-2025
- i’ve said before that i worry for mathieu’s place in history because he only has one tdf stage. cycling pundits place SO much emphasis off tdf wins that many of them still rate wva as superior to van der poel, which can ONLY be based on wout’s 9 tour wins (which impressively DO come over the whole spectrum of tdf parcours). as a fan of mvdp i wish he’d dedicate a couple years to racking up 5 or 6 more stage wins. that said, mathieu matches to his own drummer. he gets bored easily. and ultimately he’s gonna decide all in his own what does and don’t capture his interest and imagination. that’s one of the things i like BEST about him, so if he’s done with the Tour then that’s that, au revoir…OCexile08-01-2025
- I reported this in March of 2024. There was a bogus Facebook ad.davbott08-01-2025
- Does that mean that the Rapho jersey that I just purchased is a fake?
santiagobenites07-01-2025 - Utter rubish, if you think he peaks over 12 times trains, races, rests in 1 year you are living in cuckoo land.Senna196007-01-2025
- All theory, in practice much can happen, Tao won a Giro.Mistermaumau07-01-2025
- Same thing with ASSOS there was a fraudulent site in US, so I contacted ASSOS it’s down now. I don’t like counterfeiters or they bunk products. Call me old fashioned, it’s called honest.JtotheB07-01-2025
- Good on him for saying so; there's more to pro cycling than the Tour. The XCO World title is one still missing, so why not target that? However, Crans-Montana is really technical, and he will need plenty of time training and racing back on the MTB if he's going to go close. We know what happens with poor prep - crashes. This isn't CX, where you can turn up and win - the top MTB riders have got skills and MTB isn't just about watts......wipperman9507-01-2025