This triumph from his first Giro adds a new piece to his collection of trophies which is growing day by day: at only 25 years old, the ogre from Komenda already has 77 successes including two Tours de France, six Monuments and a string of other classics and stage races.
More than ever, he is following in the footsteps of Merckx, the greatest runner of all time with whom he shares the same gluttonous appetite.
At the Giro, no one came close to him until the last stage, won by the Belgian Tim Merlier in a sprint.
Daniel Martinez has finally confirmed in a Grand Tour and will be a luxury lieutenant for Primoz Roglic at the Tour de France. Geraint Thomas, a valiant third at 38, held on but without the slightest illusion against Pogacar, “the best runner I have raced against and yet I have known good ones”.
Next goal: the Tour de France
Pogacar can now devote himself to the second part of his great challenge: winning the Giro and the Tour de France in the same year, which has not been achieved since Marco Pantani in 1998. On the other hand, he has ruled out participating in the Tour de France. Spain, preferring to target the World Championships in Zurich at the end of September, another big objective.
“Obviously he can do the Giro-Tour double. He is so strong. I am proud to be his teammate,” said Austrian Felix Grosschartner. “Tadej? He’s Superman,” summarized Rafal Majka, his loyal lieutenant at UAE.
Some were worried in the run-up to the Tour de France (June 29-July 21) about the state of fatigue of “Pogi” after three weeks scrapping in Italy in sometimes complicated weather conditions. A priori, there is nothing to fear, because he still looked very fresh on Sunday, dressed all in pink in the streets of Rome.
Certainly he didn’t particularly save himself in Italy – “he can’t help but race”, noted Romain Bardet, 9th overall – and on Saturday evening Pogacar spoke of “three difficult weeks” where he was a little ill, sometimes slept poorly and had to respond to countless requests. But he also felt he finished “in good shape” and with “morale high” before enjoying a few days of rest, then leaving for an altitude course at Isola 2000. “This victory at the Giro gives me a great momentum for the Tour de France,” he assures.
Of the four “fantastic”, it is clearly he who presents the most guarantees four weeks before the Tour. Outgoing double winner, Jonas Vingegaard has just returned to training after his multiple fractures at the Tour of the Basque Country, while Remco Evenepoel and Primoz Roglic, injured in the same fall, will only return to competition next Sunday at the Critérium du Dauphiné.
