On the rest day, they will probably have racked their brains as to how the man in the yellow jersey can still be jeopardised. After all, it's hard to believe what Pogacar has delivered so far in the Tour de France. After the chaotic start to the century, cycling has done a lot to be one thing again: credible.
Great talent, even greater will
Now this Slovenian phenomenon comes along and makes the other pros from the favourites look like they can't even begin to match his level. "One of the biggest motivators is that last year is not a one-off. I want to be good again this year. I want to show the world what I can do. I always want to give my best," said Pogacar on the first rest day. As stoically as he had presented himself after his dominance in the Alps, he sat in a dark jumper in front of a glass of water on Monday and spoke to the world press via video meeting.
Former pro Marcel Kittel already sees the 22-year-old as the serial winner of the coming years. "If you follow his career and his constant development, you could come to the conclusion that he is a season-ticket winner," said the 33-year-old in "Kicker".
In cycling, something like this raises reflexive questions and speculation. The answers from Pogacar's Sheikh UAE team are the usual ones: Great talent, even greater will, hard training. But his outstanding time trial and the astonishing solo ride over 30 kilometres and two mountains on the first stage in the Alps leave doubters in no doubt.
They then state that Pogacar completed the Col de la Colombière in 21:55 minutes faster than the Dane Michael Rasmussen, who was later removed from the race due to doping suspicions, in 2007 and the Schleck brothers and Alberto Contador in 2009. However, the comparison is flawed, as factors such as weather, wind, material development and tactics have to be taken into account. In 2018, a group of 14 riders including Chris Froome, Egan Bernal, Tom Dumoulin and Alejandro Valverde rode the climb just one second slower.
Pogacar team with a doping past
In the battle against the clock, Pogacar came out clearly ahead of the Swiss specialist Stefan Küng. However, Küng was riding on a wet road, whereas it was dry for the Slovenian. And in his previous three time trials this season, Pogacar had never finished lower than fifth. He described his performance at the Tour as "perfect" and that he had also worked on his position on the bike, which is clearly visible. When asked about doubts, Pogacar commented: "We have a lot of controls. Yesterday, for example, I was checked three times - twice before the race and once afterwards."
However, there are doubts about Pogacar's team. UAE is the successor to the Lampre racing team, which had a number of colourful doping cases. The team manager is Maruo Gianetti, whose former rider Riccardo Ricco was involved in several doping scandals. Tour director Christian Prudhomme once labelled Gianetti a "manager of ill repute" and the Swiss was considered an undesirable person at the Tour for a while.
Pogacar receives instructions from the team car from Adrej Hauptman. The Slovenian was excluded from the Tour as a rider in 2000 due to an excessive haematocrit value, which could indicate doping. It is undisputed that those around Pogacar do not have the best CVs.
Pogacar's training is planned by Spanish doctor Inigo San Millan. The doctor's plan is designed to increase mitochondria, i.e. cell components for energy production. This should give the 2020 Tour winner an advantage alongside his undisputed talent. When he talks about Pogacar, San Millan waxes lyrical: "A man with absolutely incredible physiological parameters." There it was again, that incredible thing.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:210705-99-262315/3
