When we wrote on March 4th last year that the phenomenon is only one and his name is PogacarThe social media world rebelled with some vehemence. All the pages were still open. The Slovenian had missed the previous year's Tour, but he had won the Lombardia and dominated the Strade Bianche. 2024 was still to come, no one knew yet that it would won the Giro and the Tour, Liège, the World Cup and again the Lombardy. Yet there was something in his running that inspired that consideration.
It would be easier to write it now and few would turn up their noses. Vingegaard and Van Aert seem lost behind their frailties and misfortunes: victims, like the entire team, of an unpredictable retaliation after the wonders of 2022-2023. Only Roglic escaped, but he prudently chose to stay away from the biggest scenes. Primoz has carved out a niche for himself and is comfortable in it. Finally Van der Poel knows he has to be perfect to hope to compete. He did it well at Sanremo, we'll see if it will be enough for Flanders.
Between legs and brain
Pogacar is a phenomenon and when it comes to imposing his strength, there is no match for the others. Different perhaps if it's a question of reasoning, like at Sanremo. That day too we wrote that, despite the defeat, it was a masterpiece by Tadej And we feel we can endorse it. Without him, there wouldn't have been such a selection. But are we sure that Pogacar did everything necessary to win? You can't always expect to outrun everyone, even though he's shown he can do it quite easily so far. Are we sure the only way to get past the wall is to break through it and not go around it? Whoever's driving him has tried to explain to him. how to handle a three-way finale where there is “only” a sprint to do?
The Pogacar phenomenon is supported by the routes that have been made much more difficult in recent yearsIt's clear that when the elevation gain in the races is consistently above 2.500 meters, he finds all the space to make a difference. After all, just look at what he's done. yesterday Pedersen with 1.349 meters of altitude difference Ghent-Wevelgem: when the engine is superior to all the others, a small Kemmelberg is enough to create a vacuum.
The wait for Roubaix
But yesterday Pedersen was alone: It wasn't easy, we don't want to say this, but now we can write on the eve who will be in the finalAnd if in the final with him there had been Ganna, Pogacar and Van der Poel, maybe Mads would have won anyway, while we are not sure if Pogacar would have succeeded.We saw it last year. Pedersen skewered Van der Poel in the two-man sprint, while we have seen first hand that in the tight sprints of the classics even the Pogacar phenomenon tends to get lost.
Why all this? Why We are sure that in Flanders, Pogacar could once again leave everyone behind and take a bow at the finish line. As we are certain that the same script could repeat itself in the future Roubaix, if his level of strength will be so much more evidently superior to that of the others. But on April 13, on the French stones, the difference in altitude will not be the main factor and Van der Poel, Philipsen, Ganna and Van Aert could be present in the velodrome with Pogacar and the ending won't be so predictable anymore. Then we'll see if Pogacar has understood that the wall can't always be torn down. He will have to show cunning as well as strengthAnd if you look closely, all of this is what will make the Roubaix challenge the most beautiful of all. On a par with the Sanremo, but over a much longer and dustier stretch.
PS It just arrived the statement , whereby The UCI satisfies the organizers by adding a third wild card to the Grand Tours and makes the placement of refreshments during the races more flexible.A double gesture of common sense, especially the second one. We had reported the malfunction of the adopted system, there is only one question left: Why make rules without involving those who will then have to apply them?
