Tadej Pogacar reveals one of his goals for 2024 to be to "take that rainbow jersey from Van der Poel"
Cycling
Tadej Pogacar makes a big goal of the World Championships in Zurich next year. He hinted at this at a press moment after the Tour de France Prudential Criterium in Singapore, where he finished third. The Slovenian hopes to succeed Mathieu van der Poel as world champion.
Pogacar was allowed to make one wish for the 2024 season. "Have a good time and take that rainbow jersey from Van der Poel," was his answer recorded by Het Laatste Nieuws.
Pogacar could not yet say which Grand Tour(s) he will ride next year. "I go with the flow. I love racing, I love the Tour, but I would also like to do the Giro and the Vuelta. All three of the Grand Tours are special. A little variety is best, I think. But the team is the boss. They have the brains to put together the right program. If I did that, I might not win much."
The Slovenian did say that he does not make the Olympic Games a big goal. “The Games are important for cyclists, and as a child it is something you dream about. But the road race does not have the ideal course for me. It would be a gamble, so I'm not going to focus on it. I better make other plans."
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- That’s the most stupid thing I’ve read for a long time, did you not go to school and learn even the most basic physics? Aero depends on one thing only, drag, drag depends speed and the relationship is squared and apart from maybe at zero or the speed of sound or due to side winds that relationship is valid at all speeds, it dies not “suddenly” start at a magic number. Very simply, the faster you go the more the effect becomes important. If you think 25km/h is needed to have noticeable effects you’re delusional, athletic WR are cancelled as soon as winds top 2m/s that’s 7.2km/h, why because the assistance is already too important at that speed and the times prove it. You don’t even consider wind which can significantly increase the effective speed for aerodynamics and you underestimate speed of climbs, 6% is ridden more at 30 than 25km/h, a speed at which early generation high rims were considered to have more advantages than disadvantages. And finally, as in normal races you can’t just switch bikes according to terrain, it’s pretty pointless to discuss climbs as a separate situation, the aero will have justified itself plenty during the rest of the ride.Mistermaumau21-12-2024
- If you look at how much TP progressed in that 1 1/2 years you can no longer say that’s nothing. If Remco improves as much he’s a challenger!Mistermaumau21-12-2024
- Froome wishing to ride the Vuelta...he won't even be selected for the team!frieders320-12-2024
- Keep telling yourself that Remco but you not only have Tadeg to beat but Jonas!frieders320-12-2024
- Seems farfetched - I agree. Mas has beaten him once. Giro d'Emillia I think - 2022mobk20-12-2024
- Barring injuries, by the time Pogacar's dominance fads there will be lots of new young talent. Pogacar is about 1 1/2 years older than Remco. That's nothing.Sweep20-12-2024
- I actually don’t find that too impressive. In my later forties I did similar figures for a 3.5% gradient as a total nobody with no wind assistance. Am sure there’s margin for improvement there, especially looking at all the names on that list.Mistermaumau20-12-2024
- Jonas', was 6 years agospock12320-12-2024
- The race where he overnight suddenly turned nuclear after being packfodder at best for several years. His Sky days after that Vuelta and Pogačar’s last season shall remain the darkest post Lance stuff cycling has witnessed. Good riddance Froome.
UltimateOpportunist20-12-2024 - Finishing the Vuelta seems to be a reasonably attainable goal. Getting on the team to do that will be the more difficult challenge.
santiagobenites20-12-2024