When it comes time to take stock, the observation is clear. In 2024, nothing or almost nothing has stood up to Tadej Pogacar. The words of Frenchman David Gaudu, before the start of the Tour of Lombardy, Saturday October 12, summed up the situation perfectly: “We know that there is Tadej at the start. I think 99% of the teams think he’s going to win. Us too. » It’s difficult to blame the Groupama-FDJ rider for this defeatism.
Read also | Tour of Lombardy: relive Tadej Pogacar’s solo victory, his 25th success of the year
Add to your selections
Because the newly donned rainbow jersey of the world champion did not really destabilize the 26-year-old Slovenian. Worse, his new status gives him a boost of confidence – although not really necessary. His solo victory in the Tour d’Emilie, a week earlier, proved it. The outcome of the race on Saturday in northern Italy left little room for doubt. How could the last monument of the cycling season, of which he was the triple title holder and whose route seemed designed for him, escape him?
It was therefore no great surprise that the thousands of spectators gathered in Como saw Tadej Pogacar rush all alone around 4:45 p.m., to cross the finish line in the lead, thus adding his name to the annals of the event as the one of local legend Fausto Coppi, the only man to have achieved four victories in a row before him “classic of dead leaves”. By raising his arms once again this season, “Pogi” also equaled the record of another Transalpine, the sprinter Alessandro Petacchi and his 25 successes in one year, in 2005 – others have done better, but not in the XXIe century.
A prestigious hat-trick
For this last lap, the leader of the UAE Emirates team had planned everything and the plan went off without a hitch: an attack 48 kilometers from the finish, in the ascent of the Sormano pass, the main difficulty of the day. No one could follow him. The Belgian Remco Evenepoel, announced as his most serious rival, tried to pursue him… without ever succeeding in catching up. The 24-year-old Olympic champion finishes 2eat 3 min 16 s. The Italian Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) completes the podium at 4 min 34 s. Two French finish the top 10: Pavel Sivakov, 6ealso at 4 min 34 s and David Gaudu, 9eat 4:58.
Tadej Pogacar therefore ends his season as he began it with a victory, in Italy. But if the young man was already accustomed to victories, his 2024 season will remain exceptional. Because the Slovenian ogre has joined the very closed circle of riders having won the Giro in the same year (with almost ten minutes ahead of his runner-up, the Colombian Daniel Felipe Martinez, and six stage victories), the Tour de France (with more than six minutes ahead of the Dane Jonas Vingegaard and, again, six stage victories) and the road world championship, at the end of a 100-kilometer solo raid. Before him, two men had achieved such a feat: the Belgian “Cannibal” Eddy Merckx (1974) and the Irishman Stephen Roche (1987).
Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers Tadej Pogacar extinguishes his sport as much as he ignites it
Add to your selections
A prestigious hat-trick that would almost make you forget that the young applicant had also treated himself, among others, to the Strade Bianche and the Liège-Bastogne-Liège monument in the spring! “I think this year, Tadej is not normal”said Remco Evenepoel upon arrival at the Worlds in Zurich (Switzerland), at the end of September. Opinion is divided.
