At 26 years old, Tadej Pogacar starred in 2024 in one of the most brutal exercises of sporting dominance in memory. The Slovenian cyclist became the first cyclist of all time to win in the same year a Monument (two in this case), the Giro d’Italia (plus 6 stages), the Tour de France (plus 6 other stages) and the World background. Until their enormous display in this year that ends, only the legendary Eddy Merckx (1974) and Stephen Roche (1987) had been able to win the Italian round, the French round and the World Cup in the same season.
Pogacar is the greatest idol of current cycling and even many of his colleagues who have had to suffer it on the road recognize and admire him. This is the case of the Danish Jonas Vingegaardthe Slovenian’s biggest rival in the most famous race in the world, the Tour de France. The last five editions have been shared between them, with three wins for the Slovenian (2020, 2021 and 2024) and two for the Nordic (2022 and 2023).
The unequal duel between the two could have been influenced by the fact that Vingegaard arrived at the race with the right preparation after overcoming the severe injury that occurred in the last Tour of the Basque Country. That is why The Dane is already looking at the French round as the main objective of his next seasonalthough he does not hide his respect and admiration for the current cycling star.
In an interview with his country’s newspaper ‘Ekstra Bladet’Jonas Vingegaard expresses himself without mincing words: «I see Pogacar win all these races and I am fascinated by what he is like as a cyclist». «He is a fantastic cyclist, but on a day-to-day basis I have to focus on myself. “I have to try to get to the races in which I will compete as best as possible and I hope that will help me beat him.”
«I think I can win the Tour again. This year was not good for me, and I think it was for him, that’s why he distanced himself so much from me.», he explains. «If I look at my performance, compared to what I did before, it was much better this year at Plateau de Beille. The first year I won the Tour, in 2022, the power data is nothing compared to this year.
«I saw the watts that Pogacar moved…»
But because he believes he can improve his performance, the Dane does not hide his recognition of his great rival: «I could see the watts that Pogacar was moving and moving away from me, so he deserves it. To beat him, I have to raise my level next year and I think I can do it.
We won’t have to wait long to check it out. If injuries allow, both will meet once again in the 2025 Tour de France, starting on July 5.
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