🏳️The start of Stage 10 has been given in the streets of Pompeii! #GirodItalia
Tadej Pogacar does have a weak spot, according to main rival Geraint Thomas: "I think he might overestimate their ability sometimes"
CyclingTuesday, 14 May 2024 at 22:58
Tadej Pogacar, so far, looks unbeatable at the Giro d'Italia when it comes to the fight for the pink jersey. This is not quite true according to his rivals however, and Geraint Thomas sees a trend which can be a weak spot in UAE Team Emirates' armour.
"His Achilles heel is the fact he's so strong and he wants to win, and his team also wants to win. It seems like they get a bit emotional with it," Thomas said in the Watts Occuring podcast. "All the rest of his team are normal bike riders. They'll have a good day, then the next day, they'll be not so good, whereas Pog's good all the time. I think he might overestimate their ability sometimes. I don't mean any disrespect there by saying that. They need to sort of look after those pennies, don't they?"
The leader of INEOS Grenadiers argues that UAE puts in a lot of work in the front of the peloton, not always necessarily. This has already been the case over the past years - most notably at the Tour de France. This year it could be argued that this was the case on stage 1 where Pogacar then lacked teammates to control the finale; stage 6 where the team controlled the breakaway but then decided to not bring them back in the final kilometers; and now in Thomas' words: stage 8 as well to Prati di Tivo (where the Slovenian did win the stage.
"They could have backed off if they wanted to. But because the break was just there – it was only at a minute and a half or something – they just rode and kept it within distance, and went for it. Why do you even need to do that?" Thomas questions.
Whilst Pogacar did win the stage, the experienced leader of INEOS adds in a friendly tone that he would prefer to have his team think long-term in the race. "Save the boys, because there's definitely big, big days to come, and there's going to be a point where they might need all hands on deck," he argues. "Or at least someone other than Majka as well to be there."
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- Oh Lordspock12319-12-2024
- Interesting suggestion, fo you think testing Tadej’s (or Bolts’ or so many others’) parents would have given us a preview of his potential then or what criteria do you have to pick parents with?Mistermaumau19-12-2024
- Even amateur teams suffer this sort. But this is also largely due to the precarious sponsorship, in very few sports do you find kit with so many sponsors having to be integrated and changing so regularly.Mistermaumau19-12-2024
- I think it’s pretty obvious what was responsible for destroying interest that used to be there.Mistermaumau19-12-2024
- This has been stated repeatedly, MVDP for CX, road and if it already counts, gravel. Lavreysen for track. I expect as a cycling fan you’ve heard of them?Mistermaumau19-12-2024
- The same thing was said when Tadej announced that he would ride the Giro: "he goes to Il Giro because he knows he can't win the Tour". Always negative speculations. Maybe Primoz, near to the final of his career, simply wants to try this experience.
maria2024202419-12-2024 - If Valentino Rossi could never win during his period of dominance, and massive personality, then Pogacar not winning isn't a massive surprise. Cycling isn't a Premier League global sport......only one event reaches the mainstream every year - and that's not good enough.wipperman9519-12-2024
- I don't think it's only a British thing; the biggest talents aren't usually drawn to CX. Where are all the top Italian, French, Spanish, Slovenian CX riders? Apart from Belgium, and Netherlands, it's not really a target for up and coming cyclists - as there's no career unless you move to Belgium. Other countries can't support a proper professional series, like an international sport should be able to do. Lets not forget, since 2016, British riders have won plenty of World championships; with Pidcock, Richards, Tulett & Backstedt all winning more than one..... And, there was a time when Belgium didn't rule the roost in CX; that was Switzerland, but since the advent of XC MTB, their top off-road talents race there instead of CX - and the 2nd raters not good enough for XC MTB, race CX.wipperman9519-12-2024
- "25-34 are only 13% of USA Cyclings membership" Wow. I own a bike shop, and that number comports both with what I see in the business as well as on the road and trails, but it's somehow hugely demoralizing to see it quantified. Thirteen percent?verve82519-12-2024
- What super dutch talent are we talking about?awp18-12-2024