Number one
After the last World Tour race, Tadej Pogacar is the clear leader in the UCI World Ranking List. He collected almost twice as many points (11,655) as second-placed Remco Evenepoel (6,072.6). Thanks to the top rider's outstanding haul, his racing team UAE Team Emirates leads the world rankings. for the teams in first place. The small nation of Slovenia is ranked second in the world behind Belgium. "Pogi" contributed the majority of the total 17,941.1 points.
4 times ...
... the 26-year-old has won the classic Tour of Lombardy in a row - in a total of four starts. Only Fausto Coppi (1946-1949) had managed this before. This year, "Pogi" had a lead of 3:16 minutes over second-placed Remco Evenepoel. The last time Eddy Merckx had such a large lead was in 1971.
3 out of five monuments ...
... has already won "Pogi". At Milan-San Remo, after 288 kilometres, he was just over a bike length short of Monument number four in the final sprint - in third place behind winner Jasper Philipsen and Michael Matthews.
25 victories ...
... were celebrated by the Slovenian on 58 race days last season.
1987 ...
... This year, Stephen Roche was the last professional cyclist to achieve the triple of victories in the Giro, Tour and Road World Championships within one season. Eddy Merckx is also one of the illustrious trio of these triple winners. The last time Marco Pantani achieved the double of overall success in the Giro and Tour was in 1998.
82 kilometres ...
... before the finish, Pogacar began his solo ride to victory in the 215-kilometre Strade Bianche race. It was his first race of the 2024 season on 2 March and he delivered several impressive solo victories: he rode 51.7 kilometres solo in his World Championship triumph and left all his companions behind 48.4 kilometres before the finish in Lombardy.
9:56 minutes ...
... was the margin of victory in the Giro over the second-placed Colombian Daniel Felipe Martinez (Bora-Hansgrohe). The last time Vittorio Adorno had a bigger lead as overall winner was in 1965.
2O64.5 kilometres ...
... according to the internet platform procyclingstats.com, "Pogi" was on the attack last season - a good fifth of his annual race distance of 10,069.8 kilometres.
Andreas Kublik
Editor
