These 5 cannibals went through great streaks, but facing Pogacar is another status
When Pogacar crossed the finish line in Barcelona first in the Volta, like when he did it in Flanders last year, or in Amstel, or in Canada, when he beat Van Aert… When Pogacar does these things, an aroma of cannibals of victory comes to my nose that I honestly don’t remember at this intensity..
What the Slovenian signs in each race in which he competes has become a compendium of genius so unique, so his, that in all the cycling I have seen, and this for a few years now, I do not remember characters of his size and variety. of resources, objectives and triumphs.
I have thought of five names, but honestly only one seems comparable to me, that of the Irishman Sean Kelly, a cyclist who, due to the variety of records, ambition and achievements, could compete with Pogacar in this kind of cannibalism that I have been lucky enough to enjoy.
Y It’s not like I saw Sean Kelly run much.but I did enjoy him for some years in which just appreciating him on the bike was a privilege.
The Irishman was able to amass a huge record, year after year, with a quantity and quality of victories that were very difficult to match.
in your fan there was always room to be the greatest in Paris-Nice, the green jersey of the Tour and monumentsall except Flanders, completing season after season with a succession of victories that placed him at the top of what was then called Superprestige, I seem to remember, in the times of giants like Roche, Lemond, Perico, Hinault and Fignon.
In that competition Kelly still competed and won the Roubaix against Van de Velde, Kuiper, Moser and Van der Poel, Sr., as well as winning the Itzulia ahead of Echave, Lejarreta and Dietzen.
Almost 160 victories prove us right in this argument, but he did win Milan-San Remo the year he retired.
Then, choosing and using memory, I remember four other names that have had a “cannibalistic” season among many other very good ones.
I would start with the year 1995 by Laurent Jalabertpossibly the closest replica of the past to Pogacar.
The Frenchman started winning in February and didn’t stop until September, in the Vuelta, for half a monument, one-day laps, classics… As he told us one day: «I wanted to win everything«.
Alejandro Valverde’s year 2008 was also another good notch on the revolverwith stage successes in grand tours, Liège and San Sebastian, leader in the Tour, winner of Dauphiné.
Another season of those that impress, Philippe Gilbert’s 2011the terror wherever he went through with such a beastly quantity and quality of triumphs sustained over time, that he was never able to repeat again.
Then we would have some specific campaigns and periods of Peter Saganwho made a tremendous fortune in places like California or Switzerland.
Of course, for Peter the issue of monuments was a pending issue, he only won two, but the feeling of voracity and effectiveness that he conveyed to us in some years, that remained there.
As you can see, we look back and it is not easy to bathe in the quantity and quality in which Tadej Pogacar immerses himself.
I didn’t see Eddy Merckx, I barely remember Bernard Hinault, but without a doubt I think they were the closest thing to what we see today with the Slovenian.
2024-03-30 23:33:03
#hegemonic #team #coming #Flanders #Visma
