Saturday, October 12, 2024 at 8:10 PM
It is no longer a surprise that Tadej Pogacar is one of the very best ever. But his victory in the Tour of Lombardy means that the Slovenian all-rounder has done something that has never been seen before. No one has ever won the world championship, two Grand Tours and two monuments in one season. Until today then…
When Pogacar announced that he would ride the double Giro-Tour in 2024, many cycling enthusiasts thought the Slovenian was crazy. Yet the absolute leader of UAE Emirates proved all pessimists (or realists) wrong. After winning the Giro d’Italia with a lead of almost ten minutes (!) over main challenger Daniel Felipe Martinez, he crowned himself one of the greatest this summer by also winning the Tour de France. Both in Italy and France Thank you and also win no less than six stages.
You would say a successful season. Especially since Pogacar had also taken victory in Liège-Bastogne-Liège in the classic spring. But the three-time Tour winner had not finished eating yet. In fact, the main goal was yet to come.
In Zurich, the Slovenian finally had to fulfill a long-cherished dream (he is only 26): becoming world champion. Because he had already had to wait long enough for the rainbow jersey, Pogacar decided to attack with another hundred kilometers to go. His biggest competitors rubbed their hands. But the ‘stupid move’ turned out to be a great attack that would take him to the first world title of his career.
Pogacar was also unmatched in Zurich – photo: Cor Vos
In the meantime, in 2024, the counter stood at one monument, the Giro d’Italia, the Tour de France and the world championship. And we haven’t even mentioned his (final) victories in the smaller stage races and classics such as Strade Bianche or Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec. Today, in the Tour of Lombardy, Pogacar wanted to show once again who is the strongest of 2024.
And that worked. When the Slovenian started the final climb of the day, the rest didn’t even seem to want to follow. What did follow was a lonely solo escape towards Como, where he would triumph with a lead of more than three minutes. A second monument for Pogacar in 2024, a seventh in total. And so he ends his miracle year with a unique achievement. Two grand rounds. Two monuments. One world championship.
Another long solo
But even if you only watched the Tour of Lombardy and missed the rest of the season, you witnessed a piece of cycling history. After long solos in the Strade Bianche and the world championship in Zurich earlier this year, the Slovenian crossed the line in Como with a lead of 3 minutes and 16 seconds. A historically big difference that puts him in a list of big names.
The last time the Tour of Lombardy was won by more than three minutes was in 1971. That year, Eddy Merckx managed to stay ahead of the Italian Franco Bitossi by 3 minutes and 31 seconds. More than fifty years later, Tadej Pogacar has also managed to exceed the three-minute mark. It gives the Slovenian the fifth largest margin since the Second World War.
