Better than legend Merckx: Pogacar is the Giro king

In his first participation, the Slovenian dominated the Tour of Italy practically from the first stage, and the Belgian Tim Merlier secured the final success on the Via di San Gregorio in a sprint. “It was more or less the perfect Giro,” said Pogacar. "It's crazy. I couldn’t have imagined it.”

What Pogacar delivered actually defied the imagination of many competitors and observers. On the second day he took over the leader's pink jersey - and never gave it up. On the last mountain stage on Saturday, “Pink Pog” once again demonstrated his inviolability and secured his sixth victory of the day. Not even Eddy Merckx had achieved this in a single Giro.

Tim Merlier won the final stage. © APA/afp / LUCA BETTINI

“Maybe the win wasn’t necessary today, but I wanted it for myself and my team,” said Pogacar. And if the 25-year-old wanted something in these three weeks of the Giro, he just took it. An incredible 9:56 minutes separated Pogacar from second-placed Daniel Martinez. There hasn't been a bigger lead since 1965, and only three in the post-war period anyway.

Next goal: Tour victory With the victory in the Tour of Italy for Pogacar, only half of the work is done. Almost six months ago, the cycling prodigy announced that he wanted to try to win the Giro and the Tour. Italy's icon Marco Pantani was last able to do this in 1998, but nowadays such a task is actually considered unsolvable.

It was already clear before the start in Turin that Pogacar would probably win the Giro if he stayed without a fall or illness. Finally, the rest of the world's best tour riders concentrated on the Tour de France. And so it was widely expected that Pogacar would go into administration mode once he had established a comfortable cushion on the runner-up. A massive misconception.

Tadej Pogacar with his team. © APA/afp / LUCA BETTINI

The overly talented all-rounder from Komenda simply won as he pleased. “A win is a win, even if it's just by one second. In this Giro it just happened that way,” said Pogacar. In the end, he just wanted to finish the race with high morale and good legs. “It should be a good test for the summer. I succeeded, that’s why I’m happy.”

Coach change in winter The chances of the double have even increased after the Italian demonstration. Not just because of the condition Pogacar is in. The fact that his toughest competitors Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel and Primoz Roglic crashed at the beginning of April also plays into his hand. Evenepoel and Roglic will start next week at the Dauphiné, the classic Tour dress rehearsal. It is completely unclear whether the two-time Tour winner Vingegaard will even be there.

After such a long injury break, it is questionable whether the Dane would have been a match for Pogacar. This seems to have taken another leap in development, which actually seemed impossible given its qualities. In the spring he won the difficult gravel race Strade Bianche with an 81-kilometer solo, and now the dominant triumph at the Giro followed.

A change of coach in the winter is said to have been the trigger for the next level of performance. After five years, Pogacar separated from Iñigo San Millán and moved to his Spanish compatriot Javier Sola. This person has “Human performance” written in his profile on platform X. “Human achievement.” It will probably seem rather alien to the competition. Or as Geraint Thomas, at the age of 38, a remarkable third in the Giro, commented: “He’s the best I’ve ever ridden with. It's crazy how talented he is. In terms of physical talent, he is unique.”

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Better than legend Merckx: Pogacar is the Giro king

Tadej Pogacar proudly posed with his teammates on the lap of honor, then was celebrated as the triumphant of the 107th Giro d'Italia in the shadow of the mighty Colosseum.

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