Exhibits are seen everywhere Tadej Pogacar fsigned his victories, the last one on Sunday at Cycling World Championship men’s road testthe truth is running out of words to describe the achievements he has achieved, always with a smile on his face, appreciated and not noticed by anyone. Not even one of his best friends in the platoon, Michael Matthewswith whom he shares training hours for around Monacowhen the Australian highlighted that the main virtue of the Slovenian, beyond his achievements, is that he “returned the love of cycling”, because “he is happy on the bike”.
A pleasure accompanied by a resounding results and demonstrations that have never been seen before. Pogacar can be expected to become world champion Zurichwas the top favorite and did not usually fail, but no one, not even his rivals, expected him to attack at 100 kilometers from the finish line, to ride 51.7 kilometers alone. Since 1971, it has been the longest distance completed by a world champion alone, surpassing the Belgian’s 25.8 kilometers. Remco Evenepoel in 2022 or the Dutch 22.3 Mathieu Van der Poel in 2023; although it was not the longest-distance victory for Pogacar, an honor he holds at Strade Bianche, when he attacked alone 80 kilometers from the end.
Sunday’s victory came after a season in which he crushed his rivals – winning all but two of the races held so far in 54 days of competition and with 23 wins, the second Tim Merlier with 16 – and where he has already surpassed his points record, which was 3,413 in 2022 and is now 3,838, with a few races to go.
Some numbers from another planet rekindling the debate over whether Pogacar is already the best cyclist in history at the age of 26 and whether he has surpassed Eddy Merckx is legendaryespecially if we remember that this summer he became the first cyclist since Marco Pantani in 1988 to achieve the Giro and Tour double or that with his victory in Zurich he joined the club of Triple Crown –Giro, Tour and World Cup in the same season-which they have only achieved so far Eddy Merckx in 1974 and Stephen Roche in 1987.
The comparison
On the grounds that the comparisons were odious, Merckx had until now considered Pogacar his heir, but after the victory in Zurich he saw him as the best in history. “I have never attacked 100 kilometers from the finish line in a World Cup. He is a very broad, extraordinary champion. He is obviously on top of me. I thought about it a little bit after the last Tour, but I don’t have any doubts anymore , “said the true cycling cannibal, with five Tour de France (Pogacar has 3), 19 Cycling Monuments (6 by Tadej) and three world titles (one in Slovenia).
Pogacar appears to have no roof. Right now, the Olympics, The Return –where it was officially presented to the world in 2019 with its three wins and third last place–, the Milan-Sanremo –he is 3rd this year– and Paris-Roubaix, where he has not yet debuted; not to mention that the three in the next World Cups – in Rwanda, Montreal and France – fit him like a glove. The wedding is served.
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.
