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NBC Sports
03-07-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard are set to ignite the Tour de France
PARIS — At just 26 years old, Tadej Pogačar is among cycling's greats and also admired as a spectacular rider. The world champion wins on all terrains, and is favorite to win a fourth Tour de France title. Pogačar lines up in the northern city of Lille with his confidence sky-high, boosted by a stellar first half of the season punctuated with prestigious wins in both one-day and stage races. This year, the Slovenian rider won a third Liège–Bastogne–Liège title and other one day-classics. Most recently, he won the Critérium du Dauphiné, a Tour tune-up, with a dominant display in the mountains. 'I'm lucky to have had close to the perfect preparation this year,' the UAE Team Emirates leader said. 'Everything has gone really smoothly, especially coming off a great altitude camp with my teammates.' Pogačar posted back-to-back wins in 2020 and 2021, becoming the youngest double winner of the three-week showcase race. He was also runner-up in 2022 and 2023. 'It's hard to believe it's already my sixth Tour de France,' he said. 'Time flies.' So does Pogačar. His appetite for victory is insatiable and he has clearly established himself as the No. 1 rider in the world, drawing comparisons with the greatest of all time, Eddy Merckx. The Belgian great was known as 'The Cannibal' for his ferocious taste for victory. The new 'Cannibal' The 80-year-old Merckx believes Pogačar already has surpassed him. 'It's obvious that he is now above me,' Merckx told L'Equipe newspaper after Pogačar won the world championship last year. 'Deep down, I already thought as much when I saw what he did on the last Tour de France.' A fourth Tour win will draw Pogačar level with British rider Chris Froome for the fifth-most wins of all time. Merckx, Jacques Anquetil, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain have won cycling's biggest race five times. Vingegaard the main rival Pogačar's team is formidable. He will be supported by experienced all-rounders and climbers. His main threat appears to come from two-time Tour champion Jonas Vingegaard, who leads Team Visma-Lease a Bike. The 28-year-old Danish rider was runner-up at the Critérium and arrives in much better shape than last year, when his preparations were hampered by a crash that left him with a broken collarbone and ribs, and a collapsed lung. Vingegaard's main concern is whether he can match Pogačar in the highest climbs. It is a key factor, since this year's Tour features six mountain stages, with five summit finishes. The support of teammates Wout van Aert, Matteo Jorgenson, Simon Yates and Sepp Kuss will be crucial to Vingegaard's chances. 'From day one we will have to be there as a team to optimally assist Jonas,' said Grischa Niermann, the team's head of racing. 'We have an optimal preparation behind us and with that, we think we can get the best possible result.' Who else might challenge? Although there are two clear favorites, the length and intensity of the Tour makes it a race of attrition, where bad days and crashes are always a threat, keeping the door open for other contenders. Record four-time Spanish Vuelta champion Primož Roglič, who dramatically lost the 2020 tour to Pogačar in a time-trial, remains a dangerous outsider. Double Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel has recovered from multiple injuries sustained in a big crash last year, but may lack the endurance to hang with Pogačar over the distance. João Almeida, Pogačar's teammate, is capable of leading any other team and could step in if needed. Vingegaard's teammates Jorgenson and Yates could also emerge if their leader struggles. What about the route? The Tour will be 100% in France this year with no stages starting from abroad. A mostly flat first week starts from Lille and stays in cycling-mad northern France for three stages. The peloton will then head south, via Brittany and the mountainous Massif Central region. Among the highlights of the route are a trio of Pyrenean stages including a time trial to Peyragudes in Stage 13, and a return to Luchon-Superbagnères. The climbing of the Mont Ventoux, the punishing ascent on which British rider Tom Simpson died in 1967, tests tired legs on Stage 16. The Alps could then decide the winner, with an ascent to Col de la Loze — the highest point of the race at 2,304 meters — and the ski resort of La Plagne in the Alps. The final stage to Paris promises to be spicy. Tour riders will climb the Montmartre hill three times during the stage — a significant break from tradition that adds a dose of suspense but could prove logistically challenging with heightened security measures required.
Hamilton Spectator
03-07-2025
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Dominant Pogačar and resurgent Vingegaard set to ignite Tour de France
PARIS (AP) — At just 26 years old, Tadej Pogačar is among cycling's greats and also admired as a spectacular rider. The world champion wins on all terrains, and is favorite to win a fourth Tour de France title. Pogačar lines up Saturday in the northern city of Lille with his confidence sky-high, boosted by a stellar first half of the season punctuated with prestigious wins in both one-day and stage races. This year, the Slovenian rider won a third Liège–Bastogne–Liège title and other one day-classics. Most recently, he won the Critérium du Dauphiné , a Tour tune-up, with a dominant display in the mountains. 'I'm lucky to have had close to the perfect preparation this year,' the UAE Team Emirates leader said. 'Everything has gone really smoothly, especially coming off a great altitude camp with my teammates.' Pogačar posted back-to-back wins in 2020 and 2021, becoming the youngest double winner of the three-week showcase race. He was also runner-up in 2022 and 2023. 'It's hard to believe it's already my sixth Tour de France,' he said. 'Time flies.' So does Pogačar. His appetite for victory is insatiable and he has clearly established himself as the No. 1 rider in the world, drawing comparisons with the greatest of all time, Eddy Merckx . The Belgian great was known as 'The Cannibal' for his ferocious taste for victory. The new 'Cannibal' The 80-year-old Merckx believes Pogačar has already surpassed him. 'It's obvious that he is now above me,' Merckx told L'Equipe newspaper after Pogačar won the world championship last year. 'Deep down, I already thought as much when I saw what he did on the last Tour de France.' A fourth Tour win will draw Pogačar level with British rider Chris Froome for the fifth-most wins of all time. Merckx, Jacques Anquetil, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain have won cycling's biggest race five times. Vingegaard the main rival Pogačar's team is formidable . He will be supported by experienced all-rounders and climbers. His main threat appears to come from two-time Tour champion Jonas Vingegaard, who leads Team Visma-Lease a Bike. The 28-year-old Danish rider was runner-up at the Critérium and arrives in much better shape than last year, when his preparations were hampered by a crash that left him with a broken collarbone and ribs, and a collapsed lung. Vingegaard's main concern is whether he can match Pogačar in the highest climbs. It is a key factor, since this year's Tour features six mountain stages, with five summit finishes. The support of teammates Wout van Aert, Matteo Jorgenson, Simon Yates and Sepp Kuss will be crucial to Vingegaard's chances. 'From day one we will have to be there as a team to optimally assist Jonas,' said Grischa Niermann, the team's head of racing. 'We have an optimal preparation behind us and with that, we think we can get the best possible result.' Who else might challenge? Although there are two clear favorites, the length and intensity of the Tour makes it a race of attrition, where bad days and crashes are always a threat, keeping the door open for other contenders. Record four-time Spanish Vuelta champion Primož Roglič, who dramatically lost the 2020 tour to Pogačar in a time-trial, remains a dangerous outsider. Double Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel has recovered from multiple injuries sustained in a big crash last year, but may lack the endurance to hang with Pogačar over the distance. João Almeida, Pogačar's teammate, is capable of leading any other team and could step in if needed. Vingegaard's teammates Jorgenson and Yates could also emerge if their leader struggles. What about the route? The Tour will be 100% in France this year with no stages starting from abroad. A mostly flat first week starts from Lille and stays in cycling-mad northern France for three stages. The peloton will then head south, via Brittany and the mountainous Massif Central region. Among the highlights of the route are a trio of Pyrenean stages including a time trial to Peyragudes on Stage 13, and a return to Luchon-Superbagnères. The climbing of the Mont Ventoux, the punishing ascent on which British rider Tom Simpson died in 1967, tests tired legs on Stage 16. The Alps could then decide the winner, with an ascent to Col de la Loze — the highest point of the race at 2,304 meters — and the ski resort of La Plagne in the Alps. The final stage to Paris promises to be spicy. Tour riders will climb the Montmartre hill three times during the stage — a significant break from tradition that adds a dose of suspense but could prove logistically challenging with heightened security measures required. ___ AP cycling: Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. 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Winnipeg Free Press
03-07-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Dominant Pogačar and resurgent Vingegaard set to ignite Tour de France
PARIS (AP) — At just 26 years old, Tadej Pogačar is among cycling's greats and also admired as a spectacular rider. The world champion wins on all terrains, and is favorite to win a fourth Tour de France title. Pogačar lines up Saturday in the northern city of Lille with his confidence sky-high, boosted by a stellar first half of the season punctuated with prestigious wins in both one-day and stage races. This year, the Slovenian rider won a third Liège–Bastogne–Liège title and other one day-classics. Most recently, he won the Critérium du Dauphiné, a Tour tune-up, with a dominant display in the mountains. 'I'm lucky to have had close to the perfect preparation this year,' the UAE Team Emirates leader said. 'Everything has gone really smoothly, especially coming off a great altitude camp with my teammates.' Pogačar posted back-to-back wins in 2020 and 2021, becoming the youngest double winner of the three-week showcase race. He was also runner-up in 2022 and 2023. 'It's hard to believe it's already my sixth Tour de France,' he said. 'Time flies.' So does Pogačar. His appetite for victory is insatiable and he has clearly established himself as the No. 1 rider in the world, drawing comparisons with the greatest of all time, Eddy Merckx. The Belgian great was known as 'The Cannibal' for his ferocious taste for victory. The new 'Cannibal' The 80-year-old Merckx believes Pogačar has already surpassed him. 'It's obvious that he is now above me,' Merckx told L'Equipe newspaper after Pogačar won the world championship last year. 'Deep down, I already thought as much when I saw what he did on the last Tour de France.' A fourth Tour win will draw Pogačar level with British rider Chris Froome for the fifth-most wins of all time. Merckx, Jacques Anquetil, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain have won cycling's biggest race five times. Vingegaard the main rival Pogačar's team is formidable. He will be supported by experienced all-rounders and climbers. His main threat appears to come from two-time Tour champion Jonas Vingegaard, who leads Team Visma-Lease a Bike. The 28-year-old Danish rider was runner-up at the Critérium and arrives in much better shape than last year, when his preparations were hampered by a crash that left him with a broken collarbone and ribs, and a collapsed lung. Vingegaard's main concern is whether he can match Pogačar in the highest climbs. It is a key factor, since this year's Tour features six mountain stages, with five summit finishes. The support of teammates Wout van Aert, Matteo Jorgenson, Simon Yates and Sepp Kuss will be crucial to Vingegaard's chances. 'From day one we will have to be there as a team to optimally assist Jonas,' said Grischa Niermann, the team's head of racing. 'We have an optimal preparation behind us and with that, we think we can get the best possible result.' Who else might challenge? Although there are two clear favorites, the length and intensity of the Tour makes it a race of attrition, where bad days and crashes are always a threat, keeping the door open for other contenders. Record four-time Spanish Vuelta champion Primož Roglič, who dramatically lost the 2020 tour to Pogačar in a time-trial, remains a dangerous outsider. Double Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel has recovered from multiple injuries sustained in a big crash last year, but may lack the endurance to hang with Pogačar over the distance. João Almeida, Pogačar's teammate, is capable of leading any other team and could step in if needed. Vingegaard's teammates Jorgenson and Yates could also emerge if their leader struggles. What about the route? The Tour will be 100% in France this year with no stages starting from abroad. A mostly flat first week starts from Lille and stays in cycling-mad northern France for three stages. The peloton will then head south, via Brittany and the mountainous Massif Central region. Among the highlights of the route are a trio of Pyrenean stages including a time trial to Peyragudes on Stage 13, and a return to Luchon-Superbagnères. The climbing of the Mont Ventoux, the punishing ascent on which British rider Tom Simpson died in 1967, tests tired legs on Stage 16. The Alps could then decide the winner, with an ascent to Col de la Loze — the highest point of the race at 2,304 meters — and the ski resort of La Plagne in the Alps. The final stage to Paris promises to be spicy. Tour riders will climb the Montmartre hill three times during the stage — a significant break from tradition that adds a dose of suspense but could prove logistically challenging with heightened security measures required. ___ AP cycling:
NBC Sports
26-03-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Tadej Pogacar to make Paris-Roubaix debut
PARIS — Welcome to the Hell of the North, Tadej Pogacar. The three-time Tour de France champion from Slovenia will take part for the first time in Paris-Roubaix, the grueling cycling classic over cobblestones held in northern France, his team said. Pogacar will seek to become the first Tour de France champion to win in Roubaix since cycling great Bernard Hinault back in 1981. 'Paris-Roubaix is a challenge worthy of his talent. It's far from a guaranteed victory because he will face a course that doesn't suit him naturally, but I think that's exactly what drives him — the chance to make cycling history,' said Paris-Roubaix race director Thierry Gouvenou. 'This is a huge moment for cycling.' It was initially planned for Pogacar, the reigning men's road world champion, to compete in both the E3 Saxo Classic and Gent-Wevelgem this week. He scrapped both events from his race program to prepare for the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, which are part of the five 'monuments' in one-day cycling alongside Liège–Bastogne–Liège, the Tour of Lombardy and Milan-San Remo. Pogacar has seven monuments under his belt already — the Tour of Flanders once, Liège–Bastogne–Liège twice and the Tour of Lombardy four times. The UAE Team Emirates squad said Pogacar adjusted his calendar 'to focus on the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix instead, aiming for peak form in those iconic races.' Launched in 1896, the Paris-Roubaix is generally filled with punctures, crashes and other drama. It is known in French as the Enfer du Nord — the Hell of the North. The nickname is said to have been coined in 1919 by a journalist to describe the shelled and destroyed World War One wastelands the race picked its way through. It took that year's winner, Henri Pelissier, more than 12 hours to reach Roubaix, more than twice as long as it took last year's male champion Mathieu van der Poel. Pogacar the new Merckx Paris-Roubaix is one of the few big titles missing from Pogacar's already impressive collection of silverware. The 26-year-old athlete is arguably the most exciting rider of his generation, capable of winning on all terrains with an appetite for victory that has drawn comparisons with the great Eddy Merckx. Although he has never ridden Paris-Roubaix before, Pogacar got a taste of the race's cobblestones during the crash-marred fifth stage of the 2022 Tour de France. He enjoyed a sensational trip that day, gaining time on many of his rivals at the end of a ride over some of the feared cobbles of the brutal classic. Van der Poel, who defeated Pogacar at Milan San Remo, will again be among the main Paris-Roubaix contenders this year. Organizers of the race have added new sections of cobbles to the course. They will be on the road leading to the infamous Trouée d'Arenberg, a long, straight section of cobbles particularly tough to handle. 'By introducing them here, it provides us with a sequence of five sectors without virtually any tarmac,' Gouvenou said. This year's 161-mile men's race between Compiègne and Roubaix features 30 cobbled sections covering a total of 34 miles. Organizers also said they had found an alternative to the controversial switchback that was installed for security reasons last year, to reduce the speed of riders leading into the Trouée d'Arenberg. The sharp U-turn had been criticized by some riders, including van der Poel. The route of the 92-mile women's race has not been modified. The women's peloton will tackle the last 17 sections of the men's race, totaling 18 miles of cobbles.
