"What he did was outrageous" - Alejandro Valverde calls Tadej Pogacar the best cyclist he's ever seen
Cycling
Praise has understandably been flying in from all angles toward 2024 world champion Tadej Pogacar after his incredible display in Zurich on Sunday afternoon. Legendary Spaniard Alejandro Valverde knows what it takes to win a Rainbow Jersey, but even the 2018 world champion was left open mouthed at Pogacar's 100km attack.
"It's true that there are some very good riders now and that we're living in a great era, with four or five great cyclists, but what Tadej has done is absolutely crazy," says Valverde to EFE on Tuesday, with quotes collected by ES Ciclismo, naming Pogacar the best cyclist he's ever seen. "Wherever he goes, he is a hit, and puts on a show. We have to be happy to experience what we are experiencing with him."
Despite his unrivalled brilliance in 2024, the somewhat monotonous nature of Pogacar turning up, dominating, and then leaving with all the plaudits has led to some online criticism of the predictable nature of the sport. For Valverde though, such criticisms are completely unfounded. "I don't see him as boring," Valverde insists. "It's clear that wherever he goes, he's the favourite and if he doesn't win, he's close to it."
"Many people say he's abusing himself because he wants to win everything, but the thing is that he has to win everything while he can, because there will come a time where he won't be able to," Valverde continues, speaking from experience. "We all know who Pogacar is. What he did was outrageous. To break away 100 kilometres in a 270 kilometre race, with such demands, and to be practically a minute ahead of all the favourites is crazy. We have to congratulate him for that display!"
"Tadej has to take advantage of his good years and enjoy them because you can see how much he enjoys himself on the bike, winning and losing," Valverde concludes.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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Tadej Pogacar's attack was 2 hours 16 minutes 5 seconds long. During this time he rode 101.5 km with 1600m elevation at an average speed of 44.75 km/h. The last 51 km of them on his own. The green aliens are real! 🤯 #Zurich2024
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