But the Glutton from UAE could come close. He who has gleaned two grand tours (Giro and Tour), the world champion title and a monument this season (Liège-Bastogne-Liège). If he were to add the Italian monument to his purse a fourth time, he would join two big names: Fausto Coppi and Eddy Merckx. The two legends of the Little Queen are the only ones to have won two grand tours and two monuments in the same year.
Petacchi in the crosshairs, Merckx too far away
Like a herding dog, Pogi picked up the peloton in the shelter on Tuesday in the Trois Vallées Varésines race. If the Slovenian wanted to preserve the physical integrity of his colleagues on the road, he also had to tell himself that it was better to give up on a new victory and a new record rather than falling five days from the last monument of the year, which could make him a little more in history.
In the event of victory on Sunday, Pogacar would raise his arms for the 25th time this season. He would thus join the record holder in the 21st century, Alessandro Petacchi, who had pocketed 25 victories in 2005 in 79 days of racing, or around 30% of victories. A remarkable performance that the 26-year-old could almost ridicule, having only raced 57 days this season for a total of 24 successes. If we go back a little further in time, we find the trace of Merckx, again and again, who won 54 times in… 120 days of racing in 1971. Another era. But if we look at the percentage, the two legends look each other in the eye, since Merckx had won in 45% of the races and stages in which he had taken part compared to 42% for the Slovenian.
Record season for Pogacar ©IPM GraphicsPogacar’s 100 after a more than perfect season
Quebec, its greatest failure
A misplaced attack in the last few hundred meters, during the Quebec GP. And that’s about it. If we look back at Pogacar’s season, the Quebec race is the only one where he did not get on the box. That day, Pogi was back in the saddle two months after his third success on the Tour. His legs probably still a little numb from this vacation, he took 7th place. His worst result of the season. He set the record straight two days later by setting off alone more than 20 kilometers from the finale in the streets of Montreal. Aside from this hiccup, the rest of his year was a masterclass with eight victories and a third place at Milan-San Remo where he was not yet in his peak form.
His Sunday opponents have been warned, when the Slovenian takes part in a race in 2024, he wins 80% of the time. Only Jasper Philipsen and Michael Matthews have won a race in which Pogi was at the start in 2024. In addition to the records he can still set, the 26-year-old runner can already boast of being the one who has gleaned the most of UCI points over a year with 4,313 so far. The record in the 21st century belonged to… Tadej Pogacar already with 3,413 units during the 2022 season. Cristiano Ronaldo once said: “It’s not me who follows the records, it’s them who follow me.” The Slovenian could say almost the same thing.
Pogacar’s 2024 season is a work of art. Which he will try to complete on Sunday, in Lombardy, with one last brushstroke.
