Would POGAČAR Drop VINGEGAARD at the GIRO?

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[@apocalypseviking9240]

Bonus info: Jonas is currently training in Mallorca, so he looks in great shape and recovering well. so i guess we will see the the TDF showdown. i think the best part of the Giro is with Tadej being do solid, it just adds so much this years TDF and the narrativ that is going to play out. Roglic on a new team, Tadej winning the Giro with one of the biggest margins and Jonas coming back from a serious injury AND having Wout as is wing man. it is gonna be a spectacular summer !!

[@MarcoVogelsang-rt6di]

Where did you get this information from?

[@apocalypseviking9240]

@@MarcoVogelsang-rt6di Danish media, he apparently stopped at a cafe in Mallorca and the owner got picture of him. Also Danish sports press confirmed it

[@MDP1702]

Just because he's training in Mallorca doesn't mean he's great. He was always expected to be in Mallorca around this time unless his injuries were even worse than expected. Wout also has participated in altitude camps and now see how he performs in Norway. It still isn't at all certain Jonas will participate in the TdF, let alone be in great shape. Wout's participation in the TdF is also far from certain. Imo based on his performance here in Norway, he'll not want to ride the TdF as domestique for Jonas, either ride it in a free role for stages and more specifically training for Olympics or otherwise just train out of race for the Olympics.

[@telmolicious]

@@MDP1702If Jonas is in with a chance he’ll have to work for him as well

[@josecarvajal5179]

As a matter of fact , with Jonas or Primoz in the peloton, I would have Nairo winning the stage. There is no way Tadej attacks that far with those two on his wheel

[@swissbiggy]

With Jonas and Primoz in the peloton, Nairo would probably never have been in the situation to win the stage anyway. Because Visma or Bora would have paced much harder on the Mortirolo already.... They know what Pogacar's weak point is.... Making every stage hard from start to finish to exhaust him little by little.... Because that's what cracked him in the last two versions of the Tour.

[@ChrisHornerCycling]

agreed. No way Pogi goes from 14k out while Jonas and Roglic are on his wheel. 🦋👊

[@tonyg3091]

@@swissbiggy exactly

[@quinthomas5805]

@@swissbiggyWouldn’t crack him this season. Let’s be real

[@swisstopia]

Pogi has to convincingly drop Jonas, Remco and Primoz, in order to get the ultimate cred.

[@ricardocarrionabril2654]

Hi Chris, you are the best. I thought I knew about cycling, but with your videos, you don't know how much I have learned. I understand cycling better and I enjoy it more. I like it better when you talk about your experiences, because you learn what the professional cyclist goes through during the race. The best video was the one you made with your wife at the theater. All those experiences and events that you went through to win La Vuelta were spectacular and helped me understand cycling better and love it more. Thank you for making these videos and sharing all your knowledge.

[@amueller585]

I’m sittin on the chesterfield listening to you talk about sittin on the chesterfield. Inception.

[@mattanthony3963]

😂

[@starkparker16]

Mind status: blown

[@Chiller11]

Is your top spinning?

[@vinssenclark5018]

I'm sittin on the davenport wishing I could afford a Chesterfield 😢

[@ChrisHornerCycling]

😂🦋👍🛋️🛋️🛋️🛋️🛋️🛋️🛋️🛋️🛋️🛋️🛋️

[@cooldude.1811]

Let's hope that next year we see Jonas try the Giro-Tour double. Last year, he would have almost certainly achieved the Tour-Vuelta double if not for Jumbo Visma team orders.

[@adamcurpier]

Great video Chris, glad you picked this to cover!

[@GregBecker]

From what I can see on the other side of a TV, this was just the end of week 2 of a 6 week race. TP did an interval, got a gap, and he didn't even have to push after he had passed NQ to get the stage... and I don't think he did as once he had got to NQ, the gap to the rest of the podium narrowed. I can see TP winning some stages this coming week, while treating this as training and TdF preparation!

[@kevinw3621]

A 3 week race - finishes on may 26th. 😂

[@Flakey101]

@@kevinw3621 He is adding the time of Giro and the TDF together

[@fernandovega5722]

You have to use this race as training, but carefully not overtrain. In other words just do the minimum efforts to guarantee the win.

[@ChrisHornerCycling]

Agreed 👍🦋

[@StatistikinDD]

@@fernandovega5722 Minimum effort, decades since anyone last won by that kind of margin. Not too bad :-)

[@JeffreyHoeper]

Maybe your best analysis ever, Chris! You really shed light on the Giro, the TDF, Jonas, Primoz, and Remco. Keep it coming!

[@carlosrestrepo8525]

Nobody recovers from a neumotorax 100%. The lung affected detaches from the toraxic cavity and a slight defect remains after recovery . Besides that Pojacar is exceeding his power exponentially, he just glides up the mountains. He will win the T of F no doubt.

[@peterhaberland9388]

Fantastic explanation and review Mister Cycling Director. Dig the call. Thank you Chris.

[@francisyuweh706]

i think the favorites and the teams now will surely rely on their tactics not only having the best legs to win the tour de france w/ most favorites for sure not on their peak form as of the moment. Hope to see Remco, Jonas, and Primoz along w/ Pogi and the news will surely all blow out following the race with all of them with it. Looking forward for that exciting tour

[@anatithenai44]

Awesome, dude! Thank you!

[@hannahzhang7849]

Excellent episode!!!!!

[@ChrisHornerCycling]

👊🙏🦋

[@johnwalsh9285]

Thanks Chris and Garrett

[@mathiasmller7966]

Chris Horner i love everything about you, your accent. your knowlegde and takes on stuff,. Everything is amazing!! Keep it up!

[@moored1979]

When it comes to the Grand Tours ... imo, Jonas is just ahead of Tadej (although overall Tadej is a clear No.1 due to his versatility) and those two are the only first page riders (for a GT). Primoz is a clear third pick, then Remco, then daylight to the rest. For Tadej to beat Jonas at a GT, no he's not going to drop him on these climbs and he shouldn't try, all Tadej should do is follow Jonas everywhere and then outsprint him in the finishes and keep racking up the bonus seconds!

[@danielsiapin]

Tried that last year

[@pythor2117]

I think this year it’ll be pretty even between Pog and Jonas. Roglic will nab third, but I don’t see Remco as the clear fourth best in a 3 week grand tour personally. I know a lot of people will disagree with me. I think Ayuso, Hindley, both Yates honestly, maybe even guys like Rodriguez or TGH could place better than him. Heck, if Landa didn’t suck so much at TTs, Remco wouldn’t even be the best GC on his own team.

[@jenspetersen5865]

@@danielsiapin I think you missed the part of "Tadej should do is follow Jonas EVERYWHERE"

[@Jcortez2214]

As always great analytical take. Awesome lecture professor Horner..

[@mikemartinez4450]

Let's all just cherish the Pogi, the Jonas, the WVA, the MVP, the Remco.,the Primos of today's cycling are all here to entertain and provide us a guranteed top level competition every time they don their jersey . ❤🚴🚴🚴

[@user-en9qd5nx8w]

Agreed, great generation of riders that are active right now.

[@dr.merlot1532]

Such an exciting day! I love rest days!

[@pauljansen1137]

Good evening dear Chris....love from Amsterdam! Tadej in this shape would be just as good as Jonas in great shape.....it doesn't matter if it is the Giro or the Tour.....don't forget that Tadej has a dream team surrounding him in the TDF this year...let's hope that Jonas will be fit and has a great team as well so that we all get to enjoy an Epic battle!!!

[@MR_Droleee]

It does matter a bit because at the Tour it’s usually significantly hotter and Tadej seems to be better at lower temperatures

[@pauljansen1137]

@@MR_Droleee I don't think so....this 25 year old dude has 8 jerseys in the TDF already proving he can handle heat......don't forget that he is in far better shape than last year at a month before the TDF with Jonas being far worse than last year.....

[@MR_Droleee]

@@pauljansen1137 I mean it’s not particularly a secret that Tadej isn’t a big fan of extreme heats and France in July is mostly extremely hot. Not saying that he isn’t in a amazing shape and that he can’t perform in heat, but it makes a difference if it’s the Giro or the Tour because the weather is usually pretty different.

[@pauljansen1137]

@@MR_Droleee that's true.....we really won't know the answer to the question Chris has been asking till Jonas decides to do a Giro with Tadej as contender....Let's hop that both of them decide to do the Giro next year!!!

[@ChrisHornerCycling]

Agreed. Let’s hope all are ready to go. 👊👊👊🦋🦋🦋

[@professorzig8631]

exiting as always

[@Chiller11]

I hope all the riders are healed and fit for the Tour de France. The lineup of potential talent is pretty extraordinary. I’m not even certain who I’ll be pulling for. It won’t be Jonas Vingegaard because last two times. Perhaps Primoz Roglic because he’s due or maybe Remco Evenepoel. Tadej Pogacar is brilliant but he has a ways to go against some pretty talented riders before he’s crowned the new Eddy Merckx.

[@swissbiggy]

To be crowned as new Merckx he will have to win four more Giro's after this one, three more Tour's and a Vuelta, three world championships, eleven more monuments and about five hundred more other races.... Thus he still has a very, very long way to go.... and he will probably never reach those numbers... Let's first see if he can ever reach the numbers of Anquetil, Hinault and a few more.... To even reach those guys, he has still a lot to win. And he will probably not achieve to match those guys ever... Now a days people start to scream that someone is the goat after they have won just a few races.... It is impresive what he does, but it is by far no Merckx or Hinault yet... Next to that it is almost impossible to compare, because riders barely ride races now a days..... Back in the days, riders did compete in 130 races a year, and now you can be happy if Pogacar did have 40 race days in the last season....

[@ChrisHornerCycling]

👊🦋🔥

[@pythor2117]

If Bora play their cards right Roglic has a chance, albeit a small chance, of winning. They’ll have 3 GC guys all at the same race

[@jordanburns4041]

Thanks Chris, this is exactly what I wanted to hear appreciate it. Yea little uncertain about Evenepoel because i always see him as the punchy climber and not a pure mountain climber but yea the others you said i meant dropped like right at the end at the steeper part i can't talk about the others in one comment but you explained it very well and no doubt the clear favorites are Pogacar, Vingegaard, Roglic, and maybe Evenepoel but Evenepoel might win the Tour from the time Trial knowing his performance that's what I think. 👊🦋🦋

[@ChrisHornerCycling]

Thanks for the topic. It made for good video and an easy day for me. 😃👊👊🦋🦋🦋

[@jordanburns4041]

@ChrisHornerCycling Gotta have an easy topic for the rest day 😂👊

[@robbchastain3036]

Thanks, Chris, and isn't Tadej just in the zone right now, the can-do-no-wrong zone, unless, of course, he burns too many matches and acts the total knucklehead. And, should his Tour rivals get particularly feisty, he could make every day a day to tow Tadej, his first Tour win showed us that as he rode as an honorary Primoz teammate, just hang out and enjoy the party. Still, I think his strength and maturity will make the Tour like this Giro. He will light up everyone and then think about the Vuelta? 😀

[@MDP1702]

His first tour he could ride like that because he was underestimated and J-V too overconfident/certain. If Pog just remains in the wheels and is strong enough to just follow, most likely riders would just not ride but rather attack one after another. Like Roglic, Remco and Jonas and then looking at Pog to react (or if he doesn't attack him in turn). Also Pog will likely bring the strongest team to the TdF, so it isn't like he needs to rely on the team of others. It will be interesting to see how he is in the TdF, looking at his values he's at or very close to his peak shape. It isn't easy reaching that a 2nd time to close after the first, not to mention he never even rode 2 GT's before and in the past has struggled with races in the 1-2 months after the TdF.

[@ericvonhellens8822]

Cofidis chasing themselves. Lol. 😂 So very right about yesterday. Tadej just hammered to open up a gap to Thomas and company, then focused on NQ.

[@alpsalish]

Yet, still most impressed with NQ.

[@dotoannang]

I don't think Roglic is in the same level of Pogacar or Vingegaard nowadays. Maybe two years ago, yes.

[@ikegrall8466]

Jonas really gets dropped by no one on mountain days like stage 15. It’s the intermediate climbing stages tadej can put damage into Jonas. Additionally, Jonas was tremendously helped by tactical errors by UAE the last two year (solarisms galore) as well as by his own teams ability to perform highly and control the European Peloton (Sepp Kuss and Gesink and Van Art and Kelderman and etc). The problem with the Giro right now is lack of competition for position one. So my attention easily moves to the race for second. Love to see Thomas at 37 schooling the peloton, but next year the Giro needs to bring more firepower. One thing I hate in cycling is a single hero. I like the antagonist riders disrupting greatness. That’s why Jonas is compelling. His steady state consistency and cycling intellect challenges the raw talent of a pogacar. Not to mention the Frida tributes at the line.

[@reggaedancer69]

I agreed. The Giro was decided form Stage 2. From then, Giro was a battle for 2nd place 😞 How could a Grand Tour be exciting when you already know who is the winner from Day 2?

[@user-en9qd5nx8w]

@@reggaedancer69 We already knew the winner the moment Pogi declared he would enter the race. Sometimes it just works that way in sport, where someone dominates, remember Usain Bolt in the Olympics, pretty much everyone knew he was going to win. We're lucky to have both Pogi and Jonas in this generation of riders be so close in grand tours.

[@Enigma71559]

Jonas may be training again and will be ready to start the Tour, but there's no way of knowing how far off his top form he may be because of time missed due to the injuries. They map out their schedules in such detail, and his has certainly been thrown for a loop. Roglic had to modify his plan as well, even though his injuries weren't as severe as Jonas'. So I fear we won't get the dream matchups we hoped as maybe only Tadej will truly be at his best.

[@garysladek9110]

" Milano is not dropping me." Love it. Cheers.

[@patrickwong4824]

Once it becomes racing for second, third or fourth in the GC game over. You are so correct Chris. Still, could the weather on Tuesday throw a wrench into everything? Can playing it too safe be even more dangerous?

[@emmasloan1489]

when was the last time there was a grand tour with 4 'favorites' in the peloton? It will make for some fascinating racing for sure... I cant even begin to imagine what tactics each might employ, I just hope they dont spend too much time watching each other instead of attacking each other.

[@jaecheokkim99]

Hey Chris, As always, Thanks for the great analysis video. After watching it, I can't wait for the Tour de France in July this year! and i hope the remaining Giro stages go well without any injuries. Some people say it's boring because Pogacar is too strong. but I actually enjoy watching him dominate. I just hope Pogi doesn't get hurt. And in July, I want to see him compete in top condition riders like Jonas, Roglic, and Remco.

[@dadonwelfare]

Jonas would turn up but he’d only be 96% fit while Pogi would only be 94% of his max due to the ravages of Giro wear and tear.

[@ChrisHornerCycling]

Agreed. I have enjoyed every stage of this Giro. 🔥🦋👊👊💪

[@bluwasaabi]

Thank you Chris! Yesterday you mentioned that you would have advised Quintana to sit up and wait for Tade. In that situation do you think he would have lost by less than 30 seconds or even had a chance? I love all the insights and am curious if you'd ever consider being a DS ? I'd love to see it. 🙌👊🦋

[@ChrisHornerCycling]

No. I don’t think Nairo would win. Pogi was under no pressure from behind like he was on stage 1 with Narvaez and it finished with a super steep 4k climb yesterday. If Pogi did have Nairo on his wheel at the summit and I was his DS I would have told Pogi take it easy, no stress, soft pedal the descent because the GC riders are way behind you, then drop Nairo on the final climb. But maybe Nairo could recover a bit, fuel up a bit, and stay a bit longer with Pogi. Maybe 🤔🦋💪👊

[@stroso83]

Tadej didn't look close to his limit yesterday though, and he STILL rode away from everyone. He has much more in the Tank to take down Jonas though, you better believe.

[@rockhopper01]

Pogi has no real competition here sir.

[@stroso83]

@@rockhopper01 agreed.

[@BlackTone91]

Huh? He looked like he is strugling at last km

[@GaiusPrimusMatius]

20% ramp😂😂​@@BlackTone91

[@stroso83]

@@BlackTone91 commentators said there were pitches of almost 20% on the final, I'm not sure anyone can make that look easy, but it certainly didn't look like he was struggling.

[@TheMilosDjuric]

I was wondering when someone will mention the reality and the wider picture. Thank you for grounding the media hype about these stages being so 'legendary' and 'historic'. Pogačar is great, but he can only be this superior when the big dogs are not around.

[@rogerdc7279]

You are right Chris, but its allways like if this or if that

[@edc4052]

@Chris Horner Hope all is well on your Chesterfield.

[@osimnod]

Appreciate the analysis of tactics and strategy of team composition. Slightly off topic question: why do some riders not wear gloves? Also, would like to hear your assessment of the AG2R team with LeMond in 1989. Seems like he had no one to help him win but he pulled it off anyway.

[@methylmike]

uhoh, G coming for coaches record!

[@morganconey4814]

Blueprint is sit on pogi's wheel then attack at flamme rouge as pogi will always go 100% for stage win and bonus seconds. Let him burn matches through first half of tour then hit him with everything you have on the longest climb of the tour. I haven't seen anything in the way Tadej races to suggest he's wised up to this strategy. He's going to have the 3 amigos baiting him at 2024 TDF so he might fade even earlier.

[@geldwertinvest1521]

Agree, Vingegaard is not getting dropped if he's at his best. Pogi did around 6,88 w/kg during the first 13mins of his attack. Vingegaard did 6,9W/kg for 24mins up Col de Marie Blanque in the '23 TdF...

[@abrahamantoniodelabarrera8112]

Not really the comparison u should be making. Remember Marie blanque is just above 1000 mts sea level, while this is 2400 mts above sea level. Those 6,88 W/Kg at the same height just go up. You should look at Col La Loze, where Jonas did about the same W/Kg in a slightly easier stage in terms of KJ expenditure

[@BinaryClay]

Also consider the load Jumbo would have put on the race not only on that stage but on almost every stage before that. Remember that their tactic is to make Tadej run out of steam after 2 weeks or so. I wouldn’t have been surprised if Tadej in that situation could have lost the Giro on that stage

[@RedGunBullets]

I don’t know about Roglic anymore Roglic has form swings, G nearly beat Roglic last year even Almeida dropped Roglic, Roglic is a hit and miss mostly hit but some hard misses and needed to be bailed out several times by teammates like when Yates dropped him in Paris-Nice and wout hat to go beast mode to save Roglic GC so 50% POG drops rogla

[@ChrisHornerCycling]

Roglic certainly has not been consistent at times, you are 100% correct. But you could say that while not being consistent he still won just about everything last season while rarely being at his best last year. Now imagine he’s at his best during all of July. Mind blowing the possibility. 😂🦋👊👊💪💪

[@bluechipBBN]

🌪️Tornado Tadej🌪️

[@adamcurpier]

Wait, Chris did you just officially announce your return to the World Tour! Team Knuckle Head 😅. Looking forward to todays stage 16 video 🎉

[@TheDiuz]

Hi Chris, would you be interested in making a video on how to assemble the best possible uae team for the Tour, who to pick , considering that riders like almeida when they had to help Tadej like in lbl they didn’t do anything? Thanks Davide Ps congrats for your work

[@mracer8]

Roglic is over the hill as one of the absolute tiptop racer

[@ChrisHornerCycling]

Not even close to over yet. 🦋👊

[@joankristelbelda7259]

Imagine bringing the A team, what would be the gap then, 10 mins +?

[@lolekbolek7655]

but chris how would roglic not get dropped by pogi if he barely won last years giro by 14sec and pogi has a 6min buffer already, only after 2 weeks?

[@jcoul1sc]

Different Giri, this year is flatter

[@kubatosik1676]

completely agree, Roglic should be happy to compete for podium if he was here.

[@Gardyy_1]

​@@jcoul1scEven more significant than, no?

[@dadonwelfare]

Rog peaked 3 years ago. Grandfather 👴 time has caught up to him

[@jcoul1sc]

@@dadonwelfare you can't be 100% all the time. Roglic still one to watch, look at Thomas

[@BenjaminUbayyed-po9tc]

this year in lombardia roglic won emilia the week before so he was on good form

[@johnhermens5002]

"Welcome to beyond the coverage, I'm Chris Horner, Today's episode is brought to you by Chesterfield". Seriously Chris, when are they going to hit you up with sponsorship money?! 🦋

[@rebjake]

As soon as Chris starts using a different brand name!

[@tonyg3091]

Healthy and in form Jonas-no way. And I am YUGE fan of Pog and consider him the best rider in the world. People seem to get caught in the excitement of the moment and tend to forget what a monster climber Jonas is.

[@Leonorexplore]

Totally agree with you and as you I'm a BIG fan of Pogi.

[@BionicCheese]

Agreed , fear for the Pog when it’s super hot and Jonas and his team give him a going over , anyway the TdF should be a great spectacle this year.

[@tonyg3091]

@@BionicCheese I doubt it. I mean, there is no way Jonas will fully recover from that crash. They will do him disservice if they push him to participate. But I may be wrong who knows…

[@triing210]

Regarding bjerg's time trials, one theory I've heard is that he's going hard and providing that info and data to the team to pass along to pogacar. Push here, let off here, etc. Any validity to this theory? And tactically worth it to burn a domestiques legs to maybe get some extra seconds from the TT?

[@Khurw]

There are a few reasons of why; I don't know the priority of them or he has more, but what he talked about are (on a danish cycling podcast right before the giro start): - TT's are his specialty and loves doing them, its important as rider that rides for someone else, that there are a possibility to go for yourself/a personal goal. He did talk about it in a very understanding way. In the sense that he could get a no mid race if the race director told him so and ofcourse he would understand. - In Denmark qualifying to the olympics team are also connected to these kinda of TT's its kinda of a soft qualifier, and its a big target for him. So he kinda has too to my knowledge. - Feedback and data is also a part of it I assume. Also Mikkel is almost like their TT expert I have heard other podcasts where it sound like the other UAE riders ask him for tips and advice on the smallest details, tire pressure etc. Mikkel were in Denmark before the giro If I remember the interview correctly to fine tune aero with some aero experts from Team Denmark (my memory is a little bit foggy here on the last bit).

[@Khurw]

Ofcourse doesn't remove the question of - should he have done, what if TP needed him etc... etc.

[@osbogosley]

Ski jumper gets better by learning from crashing. As a former speed skater I know. Racing bikes crashes don't lead to smooth slides like ice or snow. Been there too. I would to see all the stars for once healthy when they line up.

[@user-bd9dp6dw6u]

Have to say, I watched all of Stage 15 and I didn't understand what I'd seen until I listened to your recap. Hats off. But I don't know about Quintana waiting for Pogacar. I'm not sure if he could stay on Poggi's wheel downhill, but on the final slope certainly not. Maybe he can make an agreement to work together so Pogacar gains more time. And then Poggi lets him have the stage win. Poggi can basically do whatever he feels like in that situation, but would Quintana's help speed him up or slow him down?

[@MDP1702]

Pogacar already was so far ahead in GC, extra time doesn't matter, only another stage win did.

[@guitawrizt]

Haven't heard on Roglic's progress/ recovery.

[@gregorybrown7818]

Chris, your Best effort yet. Hands Down! Thanks!

[@recrevs963]

As a former pro would you be happy and fight for second? I guess there is no options here. Excellent explanation of why someone like G in this case should. Looking forward to Stelvio tomorrow. Need to check the map for which side its climbed plus I wished they left it late in the stage not the beginning.

[@recrevs963]

Note: Crappy weather and no Stelvio proper, as they will turn left into Switzerland via Umbrail pass still 2500m but they should have left this for the end.

[@alpsalish]

You fight for the best position you can. Podium is podium baby! You might be fired up for not fighting for first, but that is drive.

[@user-cx2bk6pm2f]

Very insightful. Well said. The logic resonates and I have to agree.... Jonas/Primoz/Remco wouldn't have been dropped.

[@hernanalvarado4260]

Do you think JV will be in top form at the start of the T de F?

[@kubatosik1676]

quite surprised Roglic is referred to Jonas and Pogacar as equals, he is at best at Thomas's level.

[@Elonpocalyps420]

Casual

[@philipb.1950]

Based on his Vuelta he’s much closer to pogi and Jonas then to Thomas

[@alpsalish]

This isn't remotely true. What?

[@ChrisHornerCycling]

All three are more less equal to me. I give Pogi a more well rounded advantage. Jonas the best at tactics, not getting overly excited (except at that P/N mountain stage😜) that is. Primoz is almost identical to Pogi but lacks the bike handling but this year he will out for vengeance which may give him the edge on the other two. July will be good. Remco will add some spice I’m sure. 😜👊🔥🦋

[@markmark2469]

Just to put this to sleep...here is my observation; according to published data from last year Jonas weighed 132lbs and Pogi weighed 146lbs. No way with a 14lb weight difference was Pogi going to beat someone as good as Jonas on big climbs consistently. Well, from all observations from this year Pogi looks significantly lighter than the previous version. I would venture to guess maybe 138 to 140 lbs. If my observations are accurate, I think that is light enough to now be better or equal to Jonas. Yes, he probably still weighs more but 6 to 8 lbs. is a lot different than 14 lbs. on a climb. Hopefully Jonas can be back in form for the TDF and we will see an epic battle played out!

[@MR_Droleee]

Pogacar looks a lot leaner this year but to be honest I kind of doubt that Jonas actually has 132lbs, in my opinion he looked lighter than that last year but I could be wrong

[@markmark2469]

@@MR_Droleee Lighter than 132lbs.? Maybe. That is light! I am about 142lbs. and can't imagine being 10lbs. lighter

[@MR_Droleee]

@@markmark2469 I‘m that 10lbs lighter😂 and Jonas is definitely leaner than me, but surely has a lower body fat, so he probably weighs about as much as me but he was a lot lighter than Pogacar last year that’s for sure

[@MDP1702]

This is the same thing people said in the past and then Pogacar himself shut them down by stating his weight hadn't changed 😅 Always dangerous to make assumptions about weight based on how a rider looks.

[@markmark2469]

@@MDP1702 Dangerous? Maybe foolish but not dangerous. He looks lighter to me and he is riding better than ever so idk. If you can maintain FTP and muscle mass being lighter is going to make you a better climber that is how physics works.

[@zerog4261]

Looking forward to June the 4th Chris? Netflix drops the new Tour documentary

[@christopherkomar1681]

I agree 100%. Anything can happen. Rain and downhill on those next two days is extremely dangerous. Let's see how it plays out

[@chrisspaeth6604]

Just out of curiosity, Chris, do you do this podcast in your hallway?

[@suisinghoraceho2403]

Hey Chris, given the time frame, do you still think Jonas can get to the Tour at 100%?

[@suzlus]

Well daaaam Chris , u better make another video about TdF coming up. Did u really not see the irony / murphy' moment after that crash a while ago? U know Pogi lost the 1st one 2 'chasing Rogla' and other one 2 'wrist injury-slow comeback' . I really hope Jonas comes back strong and they duel it out together with Rogla jumping in on occasion 😆 Still nice analysis about UAE irony , THANKS

[@EnochTheFirstProphet]

100% correct, so much more realistic than GCN's silly takes

[@mytinplaterailway]

Hi Chris, a question: when a rider wins a stage, do all his team mates get a £$ bonus?

[@fabiovalentinuzzi5589]

Pog pushed 6.9 watts per kg at the end of Foscagno. We know he can push 7.2 or 7.3 when he's full gas and at his peak form. I think it's fair to say he wouldn't have dropped Jonas or Roglic... With Jonas he would have had to ride differently (maybe attack closer to the finish) , with Roglic or Remco he would have had to go full gas and yes he would have dropped them. Just my 2 cents.

[@EMC2Scotia]

So who makes the best UAE team for the TDF?

[@royoser9956]

Yes, yes and yes. Nothing in this Giro has been an all-time greatest anything. RCS had a plan to make it succeed, and that was to get Tadej Pogacar, probably paying him and his team a huge appearance fee and designing a course that favored him as much as possible. Tadej showed up and has been spectacular, so that worked. G Thomas is riding his usual savvy race and imo will lock up 2nd place. Jonathan Milan has shown devastating power in the sprints. The INEOS strong men dominated the time trials. Well, almost. There have been some unexpected (by me, anyway) breakaway successes, and Chris is right that there may be more, so that's good. But in general, most of the riders in this Giro look like they are just here for the paycheck, trying to make it to the end without a major crash and going for TV time when told to attack. The prizes and incentives need to be restructured so everyone has something to race for.

[@alexm.7254]

Jonas doesn’t get dropped. Roglic and Remco can’t hold pogs wheel

[@NeilHMohamed]

I dont see it either. Im just thinking back to last years Giro where Primoz was having problems following GT. I would love to see Primoz surprise me but as of right now I dont expect him to be to follow TP or an in shape/healed JV. Forget about Remco.....no chance.

[@dkjaer]

I agree. Pogacar has been a beast for several years but seems especially strong this year. He averaged 6.1 w/kg for 35 minutes on the climb yesterday. 6.8 after passing Nairo. Jonas will have his hands full this year even if he is 100%. Roglic and Remco will be non-factors with the two big guns battling it out

[@cypriano8763]

I think it will be a real 4 way battle, or I hope. Pogi won't be at his best, Vingegarrd for sure will.have questionable form, rollicking will be at his best and remco might be also. It el be goos

[@audiehauroo6206]

I've never seen Pog dropped Rog in any GT,Rog dropped him on col de la Loze in 2020 TDF,he just beat Rog in the ITT with an overconfident Rog that's all

[@MR_Droleee]

@@audiehauroo6206Well, 2020 is four years ago. Roglic was dropped by Geraint Thomas one year ago. Do you remember any stage when Pogacar was dropped by G?

[@Zephyr653]

I don’t think Rog and Remco can hang with Pog and Jonas on stages with 10k+ ft climbing stages. 2023 was not a good measure between Jonas and Pog because of the broken wrist disrupting Pog’s training leading up to the TdF. Pog is clearly on a different level in 2024 when healthy and motivated. Think UAE is stronger than Visma in 2024. Wishing Jonas is close to full strength this July as the competition with Pog will be amazing. Right now, today, Pog is unbeatable.

[@pythor2117]

UAE, Jumbo, Bora, and Quick Step are all bringing STACKED teams to the TdF. It’s gonna be insane.

[@leduch]

at the moment , in there state yes ! in a month we ll see ! uae are lucky to have poggy ! hope jonas is getting better . njoygiro !

[@haidirwasli3692]

Pog is on 🔥

[@franciscopontesvelasco4315]

Pogadcar is amazing but in order to leave Vinegard is another story. Looking forward to the tour

[@markmartin4793]

Yonas has to be in his best form to race with pogi because whenever they meet outside of the tour he gets dropped

[@chevyrydah04]

What???!!!

[@mikedittsche]

Pogi has to be on his best form to have a chance to hold onto Jonas' wheel. That's what the last two years have shown.

[@marksmithj9892]

lol…outside the TDF, Pog typically owns Vin.

[@ChrisHornerCycling]

Yep. Anyone not at their best in July won’t be winning. 👊🦋

[@weishin3089]

I guess it’s the heat. Jonas handles heat better than Pogi. Same situation between WVA and MVDP.

[@kkryspin]

Chris, Pig agrees with you. That high mountain stage was definitely top 3 in the higher mountains. Not top 3 all-time, of course, just in the high mountains. He said it was tough to compare with different power meters. So, is he implying he lost weight and is cranking out more wattage? Or is he just suggesting his bike’s new diet plan is finally paying off?

[@joeyboy077]

do you think Roglic at his best is able to stand up to Vingegaard and Roglic? I'm inclined to say he wouldn't but only time will tell. I really hope Jonas is fully fit at the tour.

[@tonyg3091]

He won’t be. And he should not do the Tour at all.

[@ChrisHornerCycling]

Yes. I believe Primoz is as good as both Jonas and Pogi. 🤔🦋💪

[@utube7930]

Has Chris published a biography? Or authored any books?

[@alessandrobardini6885]

Chris, I think you overestimate Roglic. Remember at last year Giro, with a field comparable to this year (minus Pogi), he was dropped.

[@MR_Droleee]

Some people said he was just sandbagging because he knew that he’d turn it around in the last TT. Jokes aside though, I doubt that he will have a shot but hopefully he’ll at least make the tour more entertaining

[@MDP1702]

He wasn't that great last giro, might be his crash or something else, but his level in Catalunya a few weeks earlier vs the remainder of the field was better than in the Giro.

[@theorientalknight]

I think UAE doesn’t have the fire power like Visma. I always see Pogi solo, with no team mate around when fire works start. Am I wrong CH? Who would u bring to TDF in the UAE line up?

[@MR_Droleee]

It’s no secret that UAE didn’t bring their best team, TdF will be a different story, they seem to be stacked for that one

[@michaelbergfeld8751]

The former Chesterfield Professor Horner has not lost his touch!

[@Phil-dx8rw]

I have to respectfully disagree, I don’t think anyone other than a 100% on form Jonas would be able to stay with Pogacar. The numbers Pogacar had to do to ride away the way he did at altitude I don’t see anything recent from Roglic that indicates he can do that after 5k kj’s this deep into a grand tour

[@juanvasques3598]

Exelente

[@gpsx]

I will be cheering for Pogacar (and Roglic) in the tour de France, but I do worry about one thing with Pog versus Jonas. Just like there are physical scaling laws that give a small guy an advantage on hills and a big guy an advantage in the wind, I suspect there are scaling laws make it easier for a small guy to keep keep sugars and electrolytes in his muscles over a span of hours and also help is recovery over days and weeks. I think this might give Jonas a bit of an advantage Pog has a hard time overcoming.

[@jcoul1sc]

Is the world championships not on the radar of important / peak fitness races?

[@ChrisHornerCycling]

Correct. It’s late in the season and far away from the classics and TdF. That’s not to say no one is in top shape for the Worlds. It’s only say that everyone is going in April and July 👊🦋

[@jcoul1sc]

@ChrisHornerCycling Olympics too, Paris, would think Ganna will go now prepare for that?

[@girodeitalia2259]

Playing games happens all the time during a race, especially when you understand that you can’t hang onto the wheel of the guy that’s ripping your legs off

[@ChrisHornerCycling]

Exactly. Every time. 🦋👊🐈🐁

[@jcoul1sc]

Will the tour be better, for entertainment and in the tactical sense with everything thats going on with the top riders? Maybe its Prmoz Roglic's to lose

[@ChrisHornerCycling]

Primoz is certainly a favorite. 👊🦋💪

[@ChrisHornerCycling]

Along with three others. 😂

[@BDKennels]

Will Jonas be ready for The Tour?

[@USUG0]

pretty sure only Vingegaard would have stayed with Pogacar the others would have stayed with Thomas, or somewhere in between

[@Panagiotis-Skordilis]

Hey Chris what the hell is going on with Tadej today? Most of riders are on juice but that man is phenomenal. He is is in beast mode most of the time and he must preserve his powers for TDF

[@Campyboy]

Looking good for 52yrs old. And you've kept off the weight during retirement. You must of stopped with the snickers and burgers before rides. BTW great information and inside knowledge.

[@bighammer3464]

In the galaxy 😂 have you reviewed the grand tour races on Mars. Imagine the form of those guys going up Olympus mons. That volcano basically traces the route of the TDF by itself and climbs to 13.6 miles.

[@ChrisHornerCycling]

As far as we all know Italy, France, and Spain are the only three. Until someone can prove me wrong, I’m right. And by the time someone can I will be dead, so I’m still right as far as I care. So in the Galaxy is what you can tell your friends I said. Hehehe 🤪😂😂🦋👊🌌🪐💪🇪🇸

[@TheJeof1000]

In my opinion. Answer is Yes!

[@Pie-ek4vu]

Pogacar is in his Best Condition EVER. Lighter Stronger and different LEVEL from everyone

[@robbyrogersberg1520]

We are witnessing history guys, I don't believe the other 3 can touch Pog this year, he's on a mission and nobody is going to change that, unless he goes down with some bad luck

[@tonilauge5786]

This Years Giro is the easiest Giro I Have seen as far as i can remember! Tailor made to Tadej Podacar to do And the tour de France. Still wonders Why Vingegaard gifted VC away to Sepp Kuss in the Vuelta. So no way Podacar would win. One year Vingegaard will do Giro and Tour de France. Most likely Jonas will be able To Win all three, if it was n't for JV kids. He very much a Family guy. Now TP has he's sweetheart with him! So something is going to happen on His home front. It a interesting thought experiment Chris. Let's see What future will bring? Vingegaard Did had a new Tattoo on left arm. He has been spotted on Mallorca It's a Butterfly ( effect) !?😜

[@n.heroep2786]

it's a difficult question to answer. Because Jonas wasn't here...🤣To be fair, Tadej got dropped after Primoz and Jonas gang on him, and the entire team JV tired him. Last year, he was crashed and his preparation was affected. And his preparation got exposed after JV rode hard every day to tire him followed by Jonas put the nail in the coffin with his amazing form. So "technically", Jonas "(in a way)" hasn't been beaten Pogacar one on one yet? (when Pogacar in his top form, without his truncated preparation)..So, we shall see this time around, if Jonas with truncated preparation can still beat Pogacar. If he can, then we can say Jonas beats Pogacar one on one. The jury is still out IMO. I also think winning the Giro is important for Pogacar morale. He has been dominating TDF, until JV figure out the Pogacar problem and last year his crashed hinder him to perform at his best.So after he has been dominating in classic, stage races, he has "never" won GT in. the last 2 years. So putting the Giro on his program before the Tour, he can start check the box for GT win again, then go to Tour to try to win it for the 3rd time. (There's no way UAE doesn't bring Pogacar to the Tour) UAE is bringing Ayuso, Adam, Almeida, Sivakov, I'm sure Majka and Bjerg will be there) for the Tour. So he will be supported by a super strong team.

[@counselor5286]

unfortunately one of TP's biggest knucklehead moves (ie gaffes) was when he said in an interview after his 2nd tdf victory how other riders should ride if they wanted to beat him. He gave then Jumbo Visma the template to win and they listened and did exactly what TP instructed them in the next two tdf's

[@meibing4912]

Think you (and others) forget JV became #2 when Pogi won TDF last - and his team did not work for JV back then before the very end... Wonder how it had played out if Jumbo-Visma had put all their stakes on JV.

[@MDP1702]

Pog did his best ever performances last TdF, so the impact of the crash on his form is questionable. Arguably the different than normal prep might have helped him (longer rest day, no wastefull tour of slovenia, different training focus, ...). Last TdF there wasn't a sudden drop off of Pogacar and neither was it a lasting one. If it was just his shape failing him due to prep, it would just have been one bad stage, that entire 3rd week he'd have been clearly weakened.

[@gobears6487]

Well I'm a historian so "what ifs" are totally to be avoided IMHO! LOL 😆 Didn't happen couldn't happen 🤷🏻‍♀️👊 TP is gonna need a lot of luck to get the double, IMHO... 🤔

[@alpsalish]

Absolutely agree!