Only once this century has a rider had a bigger time gap than Tadej Pogačar’s at the end of stage nine of the Giro d’Italia. That was Jens Heppner of Telekom in 2002, who took pink after a breakaway, and so had a lead of 3:33, but was not considered a general classification threat.
Pogačar, then, is very different. The UAE Team Emirates rider ended the opening week of the 2024 Giro with a lead of 2:40 over Dani Martínez (BoraHansgrohe) in second, and 2:58 over Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) in third.
The eye-catching lead after less than half of the race had been completed was mainly due to the Slovenian’s performance in stage seven’s time trial, in which Pogačar put two minutes into Thomas, who had been in second overall before the day.
“I’m positively surprised at myself because I had a super-good day today and that’s what I was aiming for, so I’m super-happy,” Pogačar said post-time trial last Friday. “But I was expecting especially both Thomas and Martínez to be closer, too. It was a hard day, a hard time trial if you didn’t have super legs, and for sure you’d pay for that on the last climb.
Bu hikaye Cycling Weekly dergisinin May 16, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Cycling Weekly dergisinin May 16, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
"We tore around the Sydney suburbs at 60kph in a terrifying, feral pack"
Fast, furious and furry tales from Australia
RIDDEN AND REVIEWED BROMPTON G LINE £2,499
A Brompton for running riot in both town and country
How do different gravel conditions impact your tyre choice?
There are a myriad of tyres on the market but selecting the right one is easier than you think
FEAST OF SWEDEN
Soon after landing in Gothenburg, I began to realise how little I knew about Sweden.
THE WORLD'S GREATEST GRAVEL EVENTS
Globe-trotting gravel racer Joe Laverick chooses his eight favourite events, from coastal Wales to the wilds of Kenya
THE CALL OF THE WILD
Tempted to embark on a long-distance bike adventure? Let former round-the-world record holder and author Julian Sayarer inspire you to strike out and hit the road
Saint Piran accused of using non-UCI legal bikes
Cornish team also alleged to owe former staff tens of thousands of pounds
JOE LAVERICK GETTING INTO THE FEED ZONE
I've ridden through hundreds of feed zones in my time racing a bike.
Lowden not ready to stop after retirement
Former Hour record holder eyes UK time trial scene
Pogačar makes history (again) at Lombardia
Slovenian makes it four in a row at the late-season Italian Monument