Paris-Nice sounds like it could be epci this year if stage 1 is anything to go by.
Only saw Patrick’s summary - sadly don’t have enough time this year to watch stage races unfold but far those that do, based on these highlights, I’d say tune in!
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The ending yesterday was amazing.
Watching the last few kms, leave the room for 30secs, come back and three TJV riders are off the front.
WTAF!?!?!?
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All the talk about Pog being superhuman - but WvA… fucking hell. Last time I was so impressed by a cyclist was Peter Sagan in about 2012-2013.
I think Patrick explained it well - looks like an absolutely perfectly executed ramp up prior to the last climb combined with wind/parcour which burnt everyone. They made it look like a weekly club ride I used to do about 10 years ago where the cat As just sandbagged until the penultimate hill and then raced the last 10km to the coffee shop and got there about 10mins before the front of the bunch.
Pogacar is literally untouchable atm.
Every time I have seen him this year he toys with them like a cat does a mouse.
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Tomorrow when he wins TA, Pogacar will equal Alaphilippe for pro wins.
It is bonkers how quickly he has taken over.
Wow. CF other Tour winners, I love how he attacks races across the whole calendar. Mentality (if not sprint legs) like a mini Merckx.
In a game that’s built heavily round known numbers (watts, weight etc ) I find it mental how he is a clear 3 steps above everyone.
Almost unnatural, certainly not normal.
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Sadly, as it’s cycling, it’s almost certainly dodgy.
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I know what you mean but I can’t judge without seeing and understanding all his data etc.
For one he is remarkably consistent. One area I’m trying to understand is whether he is better than anyone has ever been or if the current crop of challengers isn’t really that strong.
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He’s not better than anyone ever based on watts or watts/kg. However unlike your Froome or skybot types he has a good racing brain and also rides with panache. That’s a winning combination and he could end up with an amazing palmares. That said it’s cycling so he could easily have a bad accident/series of injuries/ lose form and not be able to maintain his current level. Regardless of any medical assistance, cycling is a brutal sport and dominating the top of the sport (not just the Tour!) for more than a year or two is almost c’est impossible.
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I disagree with a lot of that. He’s consistently shown more strength and power than his peers. His ability to remain “fresh” and recover is pretty special too. You also need to remember that lady year he pretty much rode the TdF alone. He was constantly isolated from his tea but it didn’t matter
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Pogs numbers are outstanding BUT THEY ARE NOT BETTER THAN ANYONE EVER. Its where and when he produces them that sets him apart - aka his racing brain and panache.
From the article (for eg):
Later, at the 2021 Tour de France, Pogačar showed that he is more than capable of holding 6w/kg for nearly an hour. Stage 17 of the Tour finished up the Col du Portet the overall climb was completed at an average of ~6w/kg, with Carapaz pushing even more, shown in his own power files. In the final 2km, Carapaz and Pogačar were flying up the mountain at over 7w/kg, which showed that even after 45 minutes at 6w/kg, they had plenty left in the tank.
In 2021, Pogačar climbed the slopes of Jebel Hafeet in 25 minutes and 57 seconds. Though he didn’t post his power data, we have a few different points of reference, as well as a calculated estimate of his average power which comes out to 6.4w/kg for nearly half an hour. Pogačar tied the time of Alejandro Valverde on the Jebel Hafeet Strava segment when the Spaniard averaged 396w (6.3w/kg) in 2018.
Professional cycling is not a fresh FTP test; it is a sport that rewards resilience and consistency more than sustained power output.
I would be willing to bet there are a thousand cyclists in the world can do 6.2w/kg for 20 minutes on a training ride. But how many of them could do two of those efforts, back to back, in the pouring rain, four hours into a Tour de France stage? That’s how Tadej Pogačar won the 2021 Tour de France. He wasn’t suddenly better on those days. But no one else was at this level.
This year, don’t expect to see Tadej Pogačar riding up a mountain at 7w/kg for 30 minutes. Instead, watch for him to make a move at 6.5w/kg twenty minutes into a climb in the third week of a Grand Tour, when everyone has been on their limit for more than two weeks.
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What was in his tea, though? 
Clearly no M&M’s
Thanks for posting this and this is exactly my point. He is clearly better but not in the power stakes as I thought. Sustained output and recovery set him apart.
Put on Paris-Nice if you can.
Yates is taking it right up to Primoz!!
Grandstand finish coming up!
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Not a bad wingman, that WvA fella…
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Great finish that!!
Yates with the stage win, Primoz doesn’t implode two years in a row.
And Wout confirms he is a boss.
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Giro d’Italia 2022 starts tomorrow!
Dates: Friday, May 6 - Sunday, May 29, 2022.
Stages: 21
Rest days: 3
Length: 3410.3km
Climbing meters: 51,000
Time trial kilometres: 26.3
Start: Budapest (Hungary)
Finish: Verona (Italy)
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