Tadej Pogacar arrived today in Ljubljana with the Giro and Tour trophies and celebrated with the Slovenian fans. 🥳🇸🇮As expected, he kept the Giro one closer to him (ok it might be heavier also). 📽️ Slo cycling FB
“We don’t look at the history books. If we did, Tadej would be racing the Vuelta a Espana right now” - Joxean Matxin on Pogacar's quest for World Championship win in Zurich
CyclingSaturday, 24 August 2024 at 12:15
Just two men in history have completed cycling's triple crown in the same season. In 1974, the great Eddy Merckx won the Giro d'Italia, the Tour de France and the World Championships, with Ireland's Stephen Roche matching Merckx in 1987. Now, 37 years on, could Tadej Pogacar join this illustrious company?
“Canada, worlds, and Lombardia and the Italian classics,” UAE Team Emirates team boss Joxean Matxin told Velo of the Pogacar's remaining goals for 2024, after what has already been the season of the Slovenian's career to date. “Tadej is excited to race again and finish off the season strong.”
Whilst the lure of completing a fabled triple crown is something romantic for fans of Pogacar to get excited about, as far as the Slovenian himself is concerned, it's simply another race to win more than the resultant history-making that would coincide according to Matxin. “We don’t look at the history books, because if we listen to everything they say and compare us with, Tadej would be racing the Vuelta a Espana right now,” the Spaniard explains.
“Tadej can make history, but a rider of 25 years, and who’s never done two Grand Tours in one season, and in the first year he tries, he wins two,” Matxin continues. “But if we sent him to three grand tours in one year, we wouldn’t be thinking about his future. And if we look at next season — I am not saying it’s yet confirmed — that he will do the Tour de France next season, that would have meant he would have done four grand tours in little more than one year. That doesn’t make sense.”
With a Maglia Rosa and now three Maillot Jaunes on Pogacar's palmares however, only the Red Jersey of La Vuelta is needed to complete the set. “It’s too early to say,” Matxin answers when asked if a trip to Spain is on the cards in twelve months time. “We will see how he concludes the fall campaign and then sit down with everyone to make a plan for next season. That might be great for the people who love the statistics. We don’t race for that, we race to win.”
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