Tadej Pogačar is World Champion 🤩🌈 Attacking with 100km to go, the Slovenian completes the triple crown of the Giro, Tour de France and Worlds in one season 👏 #Zurich2024
"We've seen riders do ridiculous things in recent years, but the physical difference, the superiority with which he rides..." - Thijs Zonneveld on Tadej Pogacar
CyclingTuesday, 01 October 2024 at 11:04
As if it was ever really in doubt, Tadej Pogacar emphatically proclaimed himself the best rider on the planet last Sunday in Zurich, taking a first-ever Rainbow Jersey in scintillating style, winning the men's elite road race at the 2024 World Championships with a 100km attack.
Understandably, in the aftermath of such a spectacular display of dominance, the praise has been raining in on Pogacar from all sides. One of those stunned experts is Thijs Zonneveld. "We've seen riders do ridiculous things in recent years, but never before has the difference been as big as with Pogacar. The physical difference, the superiority with which he rides..." Zonneveld begins his post-race analysis via the In het Wiel podcast.
"His pace, even though he can only ride eighty percent of what he normally can, is still so high that the group behind him, if they ride around normally, still doesn't get any closer," continues Zonneveld, stunned by the ease of which Pogacar held off the field, even as the time gap threatened to close in the final 20km. "They have to ride flat out to even keep up with him. In that last lap he loses three quarters of a minute on the climbs, but on the plateau he keeps on grinding."
Despite this though, Zonneveld was also left a little disappointed in the chase of the Slovenian. "Those were mainly the Belgians. They said that they were able to ride at the front for too short a time, like Tim Wellens or Quinten Hermans. They really did say that it could have been better," he explains. "They did indicate that they tried to close the gap as quickly as possible. They may have burned out too many riders too quickly. There are hardly any Belgians who finish, anyway. Show more patience. So don't immediately take control of the race and ride flat out, but maybe they should have found some supporters. That they could shop around with the Netherlands: don't you want to put two of them in front too?"
So where now does Pogacar rank in the alumni of cycling greats after this latest display of brilliance? "Eddy himself has passed on the crown in that respect, so from now on we have to say: 'This is the new Pogacar.' But if Merckx says so himself, then we're there, right?" Zonneveld concludes. "He trains more seriously, his nutrition has become much more serious than before. The material, the aerodynamics... But in the races he still rides on a kind of instinct and it is not always tactical choices that are very planned."
claps 6visitors 15695
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Thanks Dadmobk22-12-2024
- Hard to believe with the advancment of modern medicine he can not find a cause for this.frieders321-12-2024
- You continue to platform these two cheats. With that in mind I can no longer use your site. I know my leaving means little, but, sometimes you have to take a stand. See ya!DJ21-12-2024
- Look at what Froome’s won since his last TdF, stop denying there is still more than possible one outcome to the future.Mistermaumau21-12-2024
- Bruyneel understands nothing about clean competition.Sweep21-12-2024
- Exactly. Remco won 3 WT races/stages last year compared to Pogocar's 19. Remco's single stage win in last years TdF earned him a meager 12 seconds over Pogocar who shellac'd him by 9 minutes in GC.Sweep21-12-2024
- Fortunately and as you point out, more than one strategy is possible and worth trying and I’m sure all concerned riders are well informed and counselled on this subject and don’t need such basic personal advice through media from an outsider.Mistermaumau21-12-2024
- The main SPOTY award is "decided" by public vote but the BBC "expert panel" decide who you can choose from, that choice has an equal split of genders and is focussed on the sports BBC show and a disabled athlete. Oh yea the ubiquitous "Pub Games" candidate there too, Darts and Snooker are not sports. The other awards are decided by the "Expert Panel" again it's about the sports BBC show, cycling has had it. Cav got his for his years and achievements in the sport, not just that 35th TDF win. Unless the BBC get access to Pro Cycling it will never feature "adequately" on SPOTYslappers6621-12-2024
- Ahhh..... you have to understand the "strange" diversity concepts of the BBCslappers6621-12-2024
- Avoiding him is a good strategy, you get more wins and then you can compete in the TDF relatively relaxed. Pit yourself against Pogi and not only there will be no wins, it will be considerable mental setbackabstractengineer21-12-2024