pogacar including MerckxThe comparison may seem risky, irreverent, exaggerated, but it is a fact that The Slovenian is becoming a sort of "King Midas" of cycling: wherever he goes, he wins. Whether they are big Tours or short stage races, great classics Whether it's local races or a race, the common denominator is the arrival of a rider with arms raised. This is in defiance of specialization and the subtle balance that exists between riders and teams, where everyone claims a spot of space.
Giuseppe saroni, which is part of theUAE Team Emirates and at certain moments a sort of Pygmalion for the Slovenian, he raced with Merckx and therefore he is the ideal person to act as a bridge between the two periods: «It was '77, I was entering the professional world and he was about to leave it., we did it together Tour of Sardinia and a few more races, then he retired midway through the season. He certainly wasn't the Merckx of the good old days, but he still had enormous charisma."
Can the comparison be made?
It's risky, but it's a fact that we are faced with a true talent who does everything to win, who always fights for the best result. Tadej knows well that the next Tour will be very different from the last one, because the attitude of others towards him will have changed. Last year he also won thanks to the mistakes of others, which are unlikely to be repeated: the teams are changing their strategies in view of the Great Boucle and it will be necessary to take this into account.
The fact remains that, in any race, Pogacar wins, he seems to leave nothing but crumbs for the others, just like the "cannibal" did...
Well, he didn't even know those… – says Saronni laughing – Eddy had such an overwhelming power that he crushed the entire cycling worldThe riders just couldn't find any space and took what they could. Even in that brief moment when we shared our paths, I felt the riders doing everything they could to drop him, to beat him. It was still a source of pride, even if he wasn't the Merckx of his heyday.
Relating all this to today and to Tadej?
These are very different eras: we used to do 120-130 days of competition, today we reach 80 at most. Merckx won 50 races in a year, I won 40, today Tadej who wins 15 sparks great discussions Like we're doing now. Those who win a lot are annoying, that's clear, but it's also normal for it to be that way, and that means others will run against you.
Others win a lot, but Tadej manages to do so in the most disparate contexts, beating specialists in the classics as well as those in short stage races…
In road races, many factors come into play and you can also seize opportunities, especially on certain routes. In the Grand Tours, things are different. This Tour will be special, with a Roglic who has run less and arrives more charged: perhaps in the last week he will still have some creaks, but he remains the great antagonist. La Ineos They have the strongest team, but there is no absolute reference, they have 4-5 riders who can however manage the raceIt will be a complicated Tour and Tadej knows this.
How does it get there?
He is always ready, always in a good mood, with the right approach. It will be essential to get through the first week without incidents And among these I include fans, falls, and small errors. We'll see how to interpret the race later: it's a different Tour than last year, with fewer uphill finishes, many time trials, but not the 2020 time trial that shook up the standings.
And how does UAE get there? It was said last year that Pogacar had won despite not having a worthy team, but this year it seems like a different lineup...
Much will depend on them: riders like Majka, McNulty, Hirsch, The same Formolo They will be very useful on the flat and in the medium mountains, but it will be essential that some of them are with Tadej when the group of the best riders thins out on the main climbs. There will be 12-15 left and among them there will be more men from Ineos, Lotto, Jumbo. Tadej must not remain alone, because he will not be able to answer everyoneThe boys know that confirming the yellow jersey also depends on their wheels…
