"The only way of beating Pogačar is if you put 20kg under his saddle for a couple of days" - Sean Kelly over Giro d'Italia pink jersey battle
Cycling
Sean Kelly, legend of professional cycling and currently a commentator at the highest level, cannot see a way that Tadej Pogacar will be beaten at the Giro d'Italia. This is an opinion widely shared, unless the Slovenian crashes out or faces consequences of illnesses.
"If he doesn’t have any problems with mechanicals, sickness or crashes then I can’t see anyone stopping Tadej Pogacar. I can’t see anyone challenging him and it could be over after just a week of racing if he decides to really dominate," Sean Kelly said in words to GCN. With the absence of Jonas Vingegaard, Primoz Roglic, Remco Evenepoel and several others of the best Grand Tour contenders in the world; it has become a very difficult task for his rivals to figure out how to even match the UAE Team Emirates rider if he shows his regular form.
"If you look at the opposition it’s not a super strong field so then you’re looking at the fight for the podium, and my picks for second and third are Dani Martínez and Geraint Thomas," the Irishman says. "For me, Martínez can climb, he’s a pretty good time trialist, he’s consistent and he’s a good bike handler. He knows how to stay out of danger and that’s an important skill at the start of the Giro d’Italia with all the sprinters there." However, it has to be said that the Colombian hasn't raced since Tirreno-Adriatico, and only once (at the 2021 Giro) performed in the overall classification.
"With Geraint, there’s a good performance in him but my only concern is whether he can stay out of trouble in the first few days of the race, as we’ve seen many, many times before that he’s prone to problems," Kelly warns. "The time-trialing will suit him, though, if he can maintain his form. I think the only way of beating Pogačar is if you put 20kg under his saddle for a couple of days. You’d have to handicap him like they do in horse racing. In a straight-out race, I don’t see where he can be beaten at all. He’s too good all around, physically, tactically he can read the race really well and the team around him is really good."
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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🇸🇮 The fans in Venaria Reale clearly have a name in mind... #Giroditalia
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