The exhibition signed by the Slovenian Tadej Pogacar at the Giro recently completed revealed its status as undisputed favorite for the Tour de Francewhich will launch on June 29 from Florence, although in the “grande boucle” it will have to face rivals with greater potential.
Pogacar he passed the roller on his first turn, from start to finish, with complete mastery of all possible scenarios, whether time trial or in the mountains. The data sings: 6 partial victories, 5 of them alone and with the pink jersey on their back, and a “cannibal” way of winning, without concessions to rivalssoon condemned to fight for second place.
A significant achievement. In his debut at the 2019 Vuelta he achieved a podium finish, third, with 3 mountain stage wins, In his Tour debut in 2020 he won, and in his first Giro he took the pink jersey. A vintage cyclist, with a fantastic record at the age of 25.
Rivals on the Tour will be different
It would be unfair to discount Pogacar’s success due to the lack of opposition from rivals, but there is no doubt The famous crash on the fourth day of Itzulia-Vuelta al País Vasco has conditioned the season so farand may interfere with the Tour de France.
French exam pending recovery of the winner of the last two editions, the Danish Jonas Vingegaardbut the injuries sustained in the fall towards Legutiano Mayo prevent the Nordic from attending the appointment in the best conditions, if finally there is a green light to show when leaving Florence.
Vingegaard will be the great rival to defeat, but Pogacar, leader of Juan Ayuso’s UAE, will meet stronger enemies than the Giros. Your countryman is there Primoz Roglic, at the helm of Bora, the Belgian debutant Remco Evenepoel as the head of a Soudal that will have Mikel Landa, and the double trick of Ineos with Carlos Rodríguez and the Colombian Egan Bernal.
With all this, and with the conditioning of Vingegaard’s physical condition, the only one to stop Pogacar in the last two years, the favorite label hangs on the hanger of the Slovenian, who finished the Giro in full, with the feeling to see . it’s very strong achieve the same Giro-Tour double in July last won by Marco Pantani in 1998.
The comparison with Merckx is still too far
The new emperor of the Giro, who succeeded his compatriot Primoz Roglic in the list of winners, is fighting the 25-year-old against history, but is being cleaned the comparison with Eddy Merckx. His way of winning is reminiscent of the “cannibal”, but the Belgian legend can be found in another dimension within the history of cycling.
Not in vain, andOf Merckx’s 276 victories, there are 5 Tours, 5 Giros, 1 Tour, 3 World Championships, and three Giro-Tour doubles in the same year, a challenge that Pogacar pursues as a goal of the season. Comparisons, it is said, are odious, but in this case, and at this moment, there is no need.
Pogacar accumulates 2 Tours de France, with 11 stages, a Giro, with 6 stages, 3 Lombardies, 2 Lièges-Bastogne, 2 Strade Bianche, a Tour of Flanders… up to a total of 77 laurels, 14 of them this season.
The next event, the Tour de France. It is a shame that the fall of Vingegaard, the same as that of Evenepoel and Roglic, among others, could derail the cycling of a rivalry on equal terms.
He The leader of Visma was training normally, but the doubt arises about the state of the form that he will present when he leaves Florence, if he finally his recovery was optimal.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Robert Maynard, and I am a passionate journalist with experience in sports writing. For the last few years, I have been writing for Today Times Live. My main focus has been on sports-related stories and features. With my strong background in journalism and extensive knowledge of the industry, I am able to provide readers with well-crafted pieces that are both informative and engaging.
