How to Beat Tadej Pogacar: Tour de France 2024 Challenge

In the Dauphiné he put the finishing touches.

After a truly amazing season, Tadej Pogacar is a top favorite to succeed himself as the winner of the tour de France.Also in Sporza Daily, the Slovenian world champion is put forward to be on the highest scaffold in Paris.

“Can he be beaten? I don’t think so,” opens Sep Vanmarcke. “They know very well what they are doing at UAE. You see the clear change since he has changed from the trainer.The details have mastered the team much better.”

Maarten Vangrammeren nods. “I think he is indeed superior.There is only 1 top favorite and that is Pogacar. But Vingegaard has a chance. I think the only weakness of Pogacar is recovery, that he is really starting to feel Superman.”

“That has happened a few times, such as in the amstel Gold Race and the World Cup in Zurich. If you lure it out of his room, he frequently enough goes along. That is one of the few things that can stop him. Last year we also saw that in the Tour. In the ride to Le lioran he ate a little too little and felled back.”

Along with the recklessness, our panel also looks at the ride schedule. There are a lot of heavy stages in the last two weeks. Due to the piled fatigue, Pogacar could break, something that Visma will hope for.

“at visma they focus on a bad day of Pogacar,” says vanmarcke. “You read that between the lines in the interview with Victor Campenaerts. That has happened on the Col de la Loze. They hope that he will break one day.”

“They have built a tour with climbs that Pogacar has already lost time in the past,” says Vangrammeren. “Such as, Hautacam, Mont Ventoux and the Col de la Loze.”

Those are 3 very long cols. “There he is vulnerable, while on the shorter climbing for up to 20 minutes, there is unbeatable.In the very long work there is the hope that Vingegaard in the last week, due to the stacked fatigue, still gets a chance somewhere.”

“And in the Alps in the last week there are still 2 terrible journeys, one even with 3 climbing from outside category. It is indeed the hope of the Tour association to get a little more struggle.”

For Vanmarcke, however, that is vain hope. “Those cols exceed 2,000 meters. In the past, Jonas Vingegaard was better there, but Pogacar has taken steps ahead. So it’s just hoping.”

What can also make a difference between Pogacar and a challenger Vingegaard are the teams. According to Vangbamberen, Vingegaard’s team is more balanced.

“Visma has a man more for the first 10 hectic days. Then you need men for one -day work, such as Affini, van Aert, Benoot and Campenaerts. They also have 3 men who have already won a big round with Yates, kuss and Vingegaard. And Jorgenson is an excellent climber.”

“Pogacar also has a phenomenal team, but for that work on the flat or first hatch of the Tour, they only have 2 riders with Politt and Wellens, although Narvaez can do that too.”

According to Vanmarcke, that choice was deliberately taken. “The Focus of UAE is a little more in the mountains. Pogacar can send much better himself than Vingegaard, so he doesn’t really need that. Then he has 3 men for positioning on flat, and or else he does that himself. Vingegaard can’t.”

In the past, Visma used the tactic to insulate Pogacar, but that tactic has few chances of success according to Vanmarcke and Vangramberen since Joao Almeida is at the start as a luxury helper.

“He can be on stage himself,” says vanmarcke.”In the absence of Pogacar, the Portuguese itself has won almost everywhere.Uae is just very well armed, even better than before.”

“I think that Vingegaard can sneak a little closer since the dauphiné, but it seems difficult to release him. Pogacar will have to have a bad day.”

Vangrammeren is already talking about the battle, which was never actually there in recent years.And he also looks at the following cars for that. “They both had a quasi -feral readiness. They are both at their top and we have not seen that in the past seasons. let it come.”

“The following car at UAE is not always the very best follow -up car. So if it is indeed played tactically, as in the Giro, and Pogacar has to make its own choices, then there is still a chance for the opposition – nonetheless of his superiority.”

“And in Visma’s follow -up car they are a master to think of some plan. Even if that is for a piece of Wishful Thinking. Because he is hardly right on his qualities.”

The first 10 days promise to be hectic,so ideal terrain for Visma to come up with a plan.

Let us take a look at the man who was on stage as a third man last year: Remco Evenepoel. He wanted to close the gorge on Pogacar and Vingegaard, but it didn’t seem to work in the Dauphiné, even though he took a step forward for himself.

“As of his accident in the winter, he has booked a lot of decline,” says Vanmarcke. “Meanwhile he has eliminated it. He drives on a very good level, but he will not be able to close the gap yet.”

That also sees Vangrammeren. “He wanted to get closer with the perfect preparation,but this was not a perfect preparation. He will be good and stimulated, he is still a kilogram sharper than last year.”

“But what he certainly wanted was that gorge sealed uphill. Based on the Dauphiné you would say: it will be difficult. But there is a month between the Dauphiné and the very first real mountain rit in the Tour.”

“Last year he also made progress there, so he will know what he is doing. And he might potentially be able to grab yellow in the time trial on day 5.”

For Vanmarcke and Vangramberen, the Tour of Evenepoel is therefore successful when it becomes third again. He can then continue to build on that.

“Even if it would be nice if he ended up closer this year on Pogacar and Vingegaard than last year. that would be very clever.”