Tadej Pogacar's numbers in 2024 "just mind boggling" according to Chris Froome

Chris Froome knows a thing or two about Grand Tour doubles, having gone back to back at the Tour de France and the Vuelta a Espana in 2017. Despite Froome's best efforts however, the Brit was never able complete a Giro d'Italia - Tour de France double, something Tadej Pogacar achieved with relative ease in 2024.

“It’s incredible, absolutely incredible,” the 39-year-old, who recently made his debut at the Arctic Race of Norway, told Velo. “If the numbers that are being reported coming out of the Tour de France are to be believed and correct, it is just mind boggling. I mean, an amazing, amazing, amazing performance.”

Not since Marco Pantani in 1998 had anyone won the Maglia Rosa and the Maillot Jaune in the same year. The closest Froome came was in 2018 when the then-Team Sky leader secured Giro d'Italia victory with one of the greatest single stage performances of all time on stage 19, gaining over three minutes on the rest of the field with an incredible long-range solo raid. In the Tour however, Froome was noticeably tired, and eventually finished 3rd as teammate Geraint Thomas secured the Grand Tour win.

“Given what he’s been able to do in one day races and classics earlier on in the season, to still be able to carry that form through to the Giro and the Tour is just phenomenal,” Froome says, full of praise for Pogacar. “He’s a phenomenal athlete. It’s been a pleasure to watch.”

Whilst Froome himself was dominant in his prime, the numbers and climbing times posted nowadays are a clear level above anything seen in the past. So what's changed? “I think the availability of data has really changed the sport in the last decade,” Froome notes. “Young teenagers most probably have access to how professionals are training. We’re probably getting 13, 14 year olds training like WorldTour riders. So by the time they turned professional at the age of 19, 20, 21, they’re ready to even go and win races like the Tour de France.”

“It’s meant that across the board the levels is much higher,” continues the Israel - Premier Tech rider. “And altitude is definitely a factor as well. Everyone’s going to altitude now, whereas beforehand, certainly during the Team Sky days that I had, there were only a handful of teams going to altitude. Now it’s everyone’s going.”