When it comes to taking stock, the observation is clear. In 2024 nothing or almost nothing has done against Tadej Pogacar. The words of the Frenchman David Gaudu, before the start of the Tour of Lombardy, on Saturday, October 12, perfectly summarized the situation: “We know that Tadej is at the beginning. I think 99% of the teams believe they are going to win. Us too. » It is difficult to blame the Groupama-FDJ broker for this defeatism.
Because the world champion’s newly donned rainbow jersey did not really destabilize the 26-year-old Slovenian. Worse yet, your new status gives you a boost of confidence, even though it’s not really necessary. His solo victory at the Tour d’Emilie, a week earlier, proved it. The result of Saturday’s race in northern Italy left no room for doubt. How could he miss the last monument of the cycling season, of which he was a triple champion and whose route seemed designed for him?
It was therefore no great surprise that the thousands of spectators gathered in Como saw Tadej Pogacar race alone around 16:45 to cross the finish line in the lead, thus adding his name to the annals of the event as that of local. legend Fausto Coppi, the only man to have achieved four consecutive victories before him in the “dead leaves classic”. By raising his arms once again this season, “Pogi” also equaled the record of another transalpine sprinter Alessandro Petacchi and his 25 successes in one year, in 2005 – others did better, but not in the 21st.my century.
A prestigious hat-trick
For this last lap, the leader of the UAE Emirates team had planned everything and the plan went well: an attack 48 kilometers from the finish line, on the climb 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 chase him… without being able to catch him. The 24-year-old Olympic champion finishes 2myat 3:16. The Italian Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) completes the podium with a time of 4 min 34 s. Two Frenchmen occupy the top 10: Pavel Sivakov, 6myalso at 4 min 34 s and David Gaudu, 9myat 4:58.
Tadej Pogacar thus ends his season as he began it with a victory, in Italy. But if the young man was already used to victories, his 2024 season will continue to be exceptional. Because the Slovenian ogre has joined the very closed circle of riders who won the Giro that same year (with almost ten minutes of advantage over his runner-up, the Colombian Daniel Felipe Martínez, 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 Irish Stephen Roche (1987).
A prestigious hat-trick that would almost make you forget that the young candidate had also gifted himself, among others, the Strade Bianche and the Liège-Bastogne-Liège monument in spring! “I think this year Tadej is not normal”said Remco Evenepoel upon his arrival at the World Cup in Zurich (Switzerland), at the end of September. Opinion is divided.
