As only the third Tour de France winner to then add the Tour of Flanders to his palmarès, Tadej Pogačar made history on Sunday, and took another step towards achieving the aim of winning all of cycling’s five Monuments.
The UAE Emirates rider now sits alongside Eddy Merckx and Louison Bobet as a Tour de France and Tour of Flanders champion. No other rider this century has won the French Grand Tour and taken four Monument wins.
Looking further back, the list of names that have the Tour and at least four Monument wins on their palmarès is a who’s who of cycling greats: Fausto Coppi, Gino Bartali, Merckx, Bobet and Bernard Hinault. Pogačar has joined the list at age 24.
Only three riders, however, have won all of the five Monuments: Merckx, Rik Van Looy, and Roger De Vlaeminck. Before Flanders, Pogačar already had two Il Lombardia victories to his name, along with Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and in this kind of form, you wouldn’t bet against him adding to that tally later this year.
Three down...
The two-time Tour champion has already come close at Milan-San Remo but has not yet ridden Paris-Roubaix. Post-race he was initially coy about his chances. “I don’t know if I can answer this question or not. We will see in the future,” he said. “I just ride my race and I’m just happy that I can compete in all those different races like Flanders, the Tour, the Ardennes and Milan-San Remo.”
In his analysis, Pogačar made clear that he believes a Milan-San Remo victory will be the hardest to achieve.
This story is from the April 06, 2023 edition of CYCLING WEEKLY.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the April 06, 2023 edition of CYCLING WEEKLY.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
UK SCENE WILSON WINS AT CLAYTON SPRING CLASSIC HANDICAP
Junior rider Atkins wins North Road CC 25
"I'm Geraint Thomas," he said politely."And I'm a bike rider"
The Doc salutes the Welshman's staying power and charm
AN EXPERT'S TAKE ON...STRENGTH TRAINING
The need-to-know essentials for cyclists lifting weights - Rob Kemp asks an expert
NOURISH TO FLOURISH
The nutrition you need to age-proof your performance
THE WORLD'S FASTEST DESCENDER
DOWNHILL MAESTRO SAFA BRIAN TELLS MARIA DAVID HOW HE MASTERED THE ART OF DESCENDING TO BECOME FASTER THAN EVERYONE EXCEPT, PERHAPS, TOM PIDCOCK
VISION METRON SL 60
Super-stiff, responsive race wheels that hold their line when the wind whips up
RIDDEN AND REVIEWED GIANT TCR ADVANCED O £3,699
Lively all-rounder that offers pro bike pedigree without the premium price tag
Six days of Paris
This is one of those images that makes you feel almost as though you're there in it, soaking up an atmosphere heavy with embrocation and cigarette smoke, those hanging lamps creating a ghostly glow across the arena.
Alberto Dainese's BMC Teammachine R
We take a close look at the Italian sprinter's Tudor Pro Cycling team bike
Pogačar has fun in the desert
World champion wins UAE Tour overall, with some chaos on the way
