Tadej Pogacar decided to keep powder dry on explosive Giro day: "in the end you risk more danger than you can gain"
Cycling
Tadej Pogacar virtually sealed his GC win at the Giro d'Italia in the first week, baring disaster. He has since raced conservatively and today was another instance; as in the short and steep climbs he stayed in the peloton and arrived safely at the finish.
“The plan for today was to let the early breakaway go. Then we had to check if there were any dangerous names and then ride at a pace we wanted until the finish," Pogacar told Eurosport after the finish. "It was even better that Bahrain Victorious came to set that pace in our place, so we didn't have to waste any extra energy. It was a very good day for us. Of course it was tough, but I enjoyed it. We have made some people happy again, by giving them space, I think. But to be clear: Alaphilippe deserves the victory very much. He rode strong today.”
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In reality it was not an overly difficult day, but a tense one. The crosswinds and run-up to the final ascent were very fast moments on the day where there were some big speeds on the flat roads. On the final ascent he wasn't the only one, but it was evident that the pink jersey was riding within his limits.
“It could have been possible to grab some time there, especially because there was also a tricky descent. But in the end you risk more danger than you can gain," he argued. "It was better to keep that control and save your energy for the weekend. That's going to be tough enough.” He remains 2:40 minutes ahead of Daniel Martínez, with the Top10 unchanged.
Tomorrow is a flat day where he has to keep it safe, whilst Saturday's time-trial is the next important day for the overall classification: “I'm not really looking forward to the time trial. That doesn't suit me very well. It is very flat there and I often don't do great. I'm going to take my chance and give it my full one hundred percent.”
Instead, he eyes the mountains: “I'm more looking forward to the next day, on Sunday. The stage to Livigno is a truly monstrous stage. We're going to see big differences there. Especially when the weather plays its role. It will be one of the toughest rides we have ever done, looking at the distance and elevation gain. I feel ready, the team is ready too. And last time I proved that I have good legs the day after the time trial.”
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Well ridden by UAE. Totally a stage Pogi might have won. But better to make another meaningful time difference on one of the upcoming climbs and add another stage to his list of wins
In addition to the many good comments, let's look back to the days when riders did not have radio ear buds and often had to think about who was up the road. It's much easier today when technology tells them who is up the road. This may actually help breakaways get away more quickly.
Who was it (Dutch I think) that celebrated winning without realising he was second? Flat battery?
Not Dutch, Belgian. Jasper Philipsen. Or are you talking Olympic road race that is by default without ear buds? That would be Annemiek Van Vleuten, a Dutch.
What ever he says it will always generate "Brain dead" comments. "stubborn teenie"...it really makes you wonder.
You never had kids then? You tell them don’t go playing with the sprinters, they’re likely to crash and what do they go and do, follow the sprinters who crash. Only those who got into cars with drunk driver friends without seatbelts are brain dead. Being an adult is being able to balance desires and responsibilities. I’m glad he woke up more mature today.
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- If you do the rounds on non-Anglo commentators you’ll find plenty more, every cycling nation has good and bad ones.Mistermaumau10-04-2025
- Nathan is one of the best former pros commenting during races - up there with Sean Kelly and Nico Roche imo - McEwen, Blythe, you can keep themCrashjames10-04-2025
- Impressive and surprising, well done. Go for it more often please.Mistermaumau10-04-2025
- Good choice of profile picture by the way :-)Mistermaumau10-04-2025
- Bolt was an outlier, for some people it can’t exist. Funny thing is 3 generations later, a lot of amateurs reach the level the average pro had. Ok, maybe counting from today it might be 5 or 6 generations because we won’t all have access to the equipment and staff and assistance pros now need to perform.Mistermaumau10-04-2025
- Actually, I’ve not noticed that fans have even noticed results are provisional so as far as the sport itself goes, I wouldn’t worry too much. Obviously some riders will miss out on celebrating but then these days, they’re all paid so well that it’s quite a small price to pay. Andy Schleck certainly didn’t get to party like he was used to when he received Alberto’s trophy and titles, nevertheless, he’s in the books and I’m sure he feels like and gets treated like a tdf winner. CATCHING dopers is good for the sport, though at the moment I’d have no idea who to go looking for.Mistermaumau10-04-2025
- Someone like David Walsh, who was the point person in the Sky Team coverup? When there was money and fame in bringing down Armstrong, he went for that. Then he sold that crusader image to Sky. And then renounced them. The guy has made more money from athletes and doping without ever once competing himself, having to take drugs, or even stand for a single principle. He is no different than Novitzsky, who was pivotal in the Armstrong investigations, and helped put Marion Jones in jail. Now he is full-time in the coverup business for the UFC.
Barney10-04-2025 - Do you think that making results provisional for 10 years makes for good sport? Or in any way remotely fairer, or safer?Barney10-04-2025
- Christian Scaroni, Clément Champoussin, Harold Tejada, Simone Velasco ... Peripheral riders who have failed to make much impression so far in their carrier, suddenly starting to win everywhere, climbing with the best in weekly WT races. Aging riders years after their prime, now seen more often than none at the head of the peloton in the classics. Still, no what is talking about the Chinese candies in the roomBM10-04-2025
- It's easy to dismiss doubters. We need someone like David Walsh who dares to ask the hard question. In the mean time, I wouldn't worry too much about Tadej. Whether he dopes or not, at least, he's not a terrible person like LA Doper.
KerisVroom10-04-2025