'Animal' Pogačar posting Tour de France level numbers ahead of Worlds
Slovenian fires warning shots in Canada ahead of World Championships, as sports manager talks recovery and motivation for the rainbow jersey
Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) is posting similar power numbers to the ones that helped him win the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France, according to his sports manager Matxin Fernandez.
On Sunday afternoon Pogačar basked in the Canadian sun as he took off with two laps remaining to win the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal in typically dominant fashion. It was telling that as soon as the Tour winner kicked clear of the reduced peloton his rivals almost immediately settled into riding for second place. They’re almost as well trained as him.
Since winning the Tour de France in July and becoming the first rider since the late Marco Pantani to win the Giro-Tour double, Pogačar has eased up and taken a break from elite competition. He returned to action at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec, finishing seventh behind winner Michael Matthews, before demonstrating his true form on a tougher course in Montréal.