The tributes can begin: Tadej Pogacar is on the verge of a historic Giro-Tour double, becoming the first man since Marco Pantani in 1998 to win both Grand Tours in succession.
With two stages remaining in the Tour de France – a mountain summit finish in the Alps and a mountain time trial ending in Nice – the UAE Team Emirates rider is all but guaranteed to win his third Tour title, with a time gap of just five minutes and three seconds over defending champion Jonas Wingegaard of Visma Rees-a-Bike.
With the Giro and Tour under his belt, a total of 10 stage wins and a good chance of two more, the sport is not only witnessing history, but also athletes performing better than ever before.
“Tadei is in the best shape he’s ever been in. He’s amazing. His strength is unbelievable,” said teammate Joao Almeida. “Personally, I’m very happy to be part of this. At the end of the day, this is like history, so I’m very proud. I think you’ll see Tadei getting stronger on any terrain.”
UAE sports manager Matosin Fernandez has previously suggested the 25-year-old is on a path to lasting greatness and may one day surpass Eddy Merckx as the greatest rider in cycling’s history.
Matosin has no doubt that Pogacar, who dominated the Giro and has repeated his form in the Tour, is “the best Tadej Pogacar I’ve seen in my career so far. The best rider I’ve seen in my career so far.”
Pogacar had lost to Vingegaard in the previous two Tours, but in 2024 he will get his revenge on the Dane, defeating his great rival so many times. “I think he wanted to forget about last year and then this year he proved he’s a great cyclist,” said teammate Nils Politt. “He’s the best in the world.”
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This season, Pogačar has raced 50 days and won 16 of them – that’s roughly one win every three days. He is unparalleled, unbeatable and absolutely invincible. How did he reach these heights? “He’s raced less than in other years and is concentrating on the Tour de France after the Giro d’Italia,” Matosin replied.
“In January, February and March, he watched other riders win in Saudi Arabia and Valenciana, but he didn’t race those races. [He only had] Four races before the Giro he was hungry. Every opportunity is an opportunity to win.”
On the road, it’s a situation where a superteam does what it takes for a superstar and gives him the inevitable results. “We started with the best team,” Matosin added. “Adam [Yates] He was on the podium last year and works for Tadej. Almeida also stood on the podium at the Giro. [in 2023]he is also super domestic. [Pavel] Sivakov and [Marc] Sorel are two of the best riders on the climbs. [UAE have] He has a super team around him, and they all believe in Tadej.
“We believe in the plan and we stick to the plan. With the great legs of Tadej and our team, it’s easy. This Tour de France is a step above the Giro.”
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