Tadej Pogačar unbeatable?: 'I wouldn't say that'

Despite being only 23-years-old and entering just his fourth season at WorldTour level, there has already become a certain inevitability that when Tadej Pogačar launches a stinging attack no other rider can follow him and the Slovenian will be crossing the line first.

His 2019 Vuelta a España performance put him on the map, his shock 2020 Tour de France win elevating him to the top of the sport before 2021 saw him defend his yellow jersey and scooping up two Monuments.

The early signs in 2022 are that there is no end to his dominance in sight, crushing all opponents at his team's home UAE Tour before a scintillating solo ride at Strade Bianche to tick off an ever-shortening palmarès bucket list.

At Tirreno-Adriatico he again strolled to victory, taking two stage wins en route to a winning margin of almost two minutes over Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) in the general classification.

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Naturally, the one question needing to be asked of Pogačar after he sealed victory at the finish line of stage eight in San Benedetto de Tronto this weekend was 'are you unbeatable?'

“No, I wouldn't say that," said the rider known for his humility, which stands in juxtaposition to how he dispatches his rivals. 

“It was quite relaxed today. Especially compared to the previous days. It wasn't that cold today either. At the end it was quite nervous, but it was a good day for us. I enjoyed the ride, although I had to stay focused. After all, it's not over until you've crossed the line."

One must think if Pogačar's nerves were jangling as he rode in within the safety of the bunch how his compatriot Primož Roglič must have been feeling as he suffered a second, consecutive final day scare at Paris-Nice yet also emerged to secure the overall victory.

"But for now it's fine," Pogačar says of dealing with his dominance. "I am very happy with this second overall victory. It's always nice when you win a race. I am already looking forward to the upcoming races and challenges.”  

Limits still exist, however.

After the race GCN's Will Newton wondered if there was a chance that Pogačar would change his mind and add Paris-Roubaix to his schedule after lining up for the upcoming Milan - San Remo and Tour of Flanders.

"Not much," came the out-of-the-blue and brief reply from the two-time Tour de France champions.

Pogačar is still bound by some Earthly parameters, at least for now.