PEOPLE | POGAČAR
he first time I saw Tadej Pogačar , at the grand depart in Brest , I recall how he rolled onto the stage to great fanfare , though not as great a fanfare as the Breton riders , of course . Even then , I had to remind myself that off the bike , Pogačar ’ s probably a normal 22-year-old kid , liking memes , spending his time in WhatsApp chats and hanging out with his girlfriend . But when he ’ s on a bike , he ’ s someone – something – else entirely .
2021 TOUR DE FRANCE
I settled on the analogy of royalty pretty early on in my writing about him because I felt it fitted . As he stood there on a stage occupied by breakdancing French children not too long ago , his eyes peered out at all of us , his face the picture of relaxation , an easiness further cemented by the gentle slope of his shoulders , the casualness of his wave . Everyone else who had been up there held the palpable tension of preparing mentally to ride the most prestigious and arduous bike race in the world .
P R O S T A G E R A C E G C R E S U L T S
2021 TOUR OF SLOVENIA
2021 TIRRENO- ADRIATICO
Tadej Pogačar dominated the 2021 Tour de
France , making it look effortless .
2021 U A E TOUR
Tadej Pogačar held himself as though he ’ d already won it . The Boy Prince . That ’ s how I referred to him , because he was prince-like , had the confidence and innate authority of total control , external and internal , and yet , at the same time , a gentle , serene , youthful benevolence . He rules not by tyranny but by playfulness , more Machiavelli , less Ivan the Terrible . I think even then , before the race had started , I knew that Pogačar would win – that this would not be a democratic election to power but a coronation . And yet , I , like the rest , would have to wait and see . It was a shorter wait than anticipated in all those press conferences about how to fight the combined powers of Ineos ’ s fantastic four , how Roglič was shaping up after his weeks in isolation , whether or not Nibali or Kelderman were to be considered real contenders . But that ’ s bike racing . It doesn ’ t always unfold the way we ’ d all like it too . To Pogačar , the result was what it was , which was satisfying , which was the desired outcome , which was winning . For the full three weeks of the Tour , I had only my powers of observation to go on , because there was no way in hell any of us in the lowly written press were going to get a chance to speak to him one-on-one , even before he took the
1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st
2020 TOUR DE FRANCE
1st Volta ao Algarve 2019 1st Tour of California 2019 2nd UAE Tour 2020 3rd Vuelta a España 2019 3rd Itzulia Basque Country 2021 4th Critérium du Dauphiné 2020 4th Tour of Slovenia 2019 6th Itzulia Basque Country 2019 13th Tour Down Under 2019
2020 V O LTA A VALENCIANA
MAIN PHOTOGRAPHS : CHRIS GRAYTHEN / GETTY IMAGES , KRISTOF RAMON BOXOUT : MICHAEL STEELE , JURE MAKOVEC , TIM DE WAELE , DAVID RAMOS / ALL GETTY IMAGES
24 | ROAD BIKE