'Great' Pogacar hard to beat

COPENHAGEN • Alberto Contador knows greatness when he sees it.

One of only seven riders to have won all three Grand Tours of cycling, and one of only two riders to have won all three more than once, the retired Spanish great ranks Tadej Pogacar as among the best cyclists he has ever seen.

On the two-time defending Tour de France champion, he told Cyclingnews: "Tadej can absorb an enormous amount of stress without it seeming to affect him. He acts as if that stress was the most normal thing in the world.

"But that's what makes Tadej able to handle the heat of being the Tour de France leader day after day. And that pressure, believe me, can be a real challenge."

The Slovenian, as the No. 1 rider on the International Cycling Union's road racing rankings and the in-form cyclist this year, is the man to beat.

For those hoping to dethrone the 23-year-old UAE Team Emirates leader, he sounded a warning yesterday, stating supreme confidence in his ability to claim the yellow jersey for the third time in a row.

"I can't wait," he said ahead of today's Stage 1, where tens of thousands of fans are expected to line the streets of Copenhagen for the 13.2km individual time trial, the first of a 21-stage odyssey that is expected to attract more than 10 million roadside spectators in total.

"We are all ready, we have a strong team and it's just a matter of not stressing too much until Friday.

"I don't know what to think about the time trial but I'm ready and I'm sure it's going to be fast. It's short and technically challenging. Everyone seems to be stressed but we are confident."

There is reason for Pogacar's unshakeable belief - he has worn not only the yellow jersey but also the king of the mountains polka-dot jersey in successive years.

"The man is at one with his bike," Groupama-FDJ team director Thierry Bricaud said. "One-on-one, he's unbeatable."

But while Pogacar is the best rider in the 176-strong peloton, Jumbo-Visma appear to be the strongest team, with their own Slovenian, Primoz Roglic, accompanied by a strong line-up.

Roglic, the Tokyo Olympics time trial gold medallist and Danish teammate Jonas Vingegaard believe the Dutch outfit's two-leader strategy might finally deliver cycling's most treasured title after consecutive narrow defeats.

Roglic and Vingegaard came second to Pogacar in the past two Tours respectively, but this time, the duo intend to pair up to finally get one over their rival.

"As long as we work together, doing as good as possible together, we believe that we can beat him," Roglic said.

Jumbo-Visma team boss Merijn Zeeman hopes their new strategy in using two co-captains to rein in the champion can pay off this time, saying: "It's not a secret Pogacar is the big favourite. We need everybody to be at his top level."

The once-impregnable Ineos Grenadiers, who won seven out of eight Tour titles from 2012 before Pogacar's rise, have now fallen to become the third-best team, after Jumbo-Visma and UAE.

Adam Yates, Daniel Martinez and 2018 Tour winner Geraint Thomas are all solid riders, but none of them are a match for the all-round talent of Pogacar.

Their best opportunities may come in the time trials, with Italian world champion Filippo Ganna in their ranks.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS