The 3-in-a-row of the unbeatable Pogacar: three seasonal races, three victories

One, one, one. Next to the name of Tadej Pogacar, in the databases of the last races, the winner’s number recurs. First on February 13 at Jaen Paraiso Interior, his first race of the year. First two days after the initial leg of the Ruta del Solin Santiago de la Espada. First Thursday 16 February at the end of the second fraction of the Ruta, within the walls of the Castello de la Mota, ad Alcala la Real. Three seasonal races, three victories. Opponents change, Pogacar doesn’t, he always wins.

Five out of five

If we want, the Slovenian champion’s 3-in-a-row is much longer. Pogacar had also won the last two races faced in 2022, the Tre Valli Varesine and the Lombardy. A very unusual quintet in a sport in which 150 is competed, at least, on all terrains, and it is very difficult to replicate. Among the olive trees of Jaen, Pogacar went away with 40 to go and traveled with a minute and a half fixed on his pursuers, an hour of effort in a magnificent landscape, on dirt roads similar to those of the Strade Bianche – another of the prey already grabbed by Pogacar in his young and already incredible career -. On the steep slopes of the Ruta del Sol Pogacar is practically unbeatable. In Alcalà Mas tried right up to the end, but on the final pavé Pogacar seemed to be proceeding on a carpet, and the Spaniard instead started to swerve and lose pedalling. Just Enric Mas was the last, so far, to have beaten Pogacar in a one-on-one, on the climb of San Luca, at the last Tour of Emilia.

The percentages of realization of Pogacar

Since he became a professional, i.e. since 2019, Pogacar has taken part in 262 races and won 49 of them. A monstrous percentage of 18.7%, better than Evenepoellittle worse than alone Mathieu van der Poel (18.8%). “Losing the Tour made him stronger” explained his sporting director Matxin. After a period of tarnishing due to the French beating of 2022, from September onwards Pogacar resumed inserting coins in his personal piggy bank. On the threshold of 50 successes in his career, at 24, the Slovenian seems to be enjoying himself like never before. And to entertain. Write down the next dates, then: after the Ruta del Sol, Pogacar will reappear at the Strade Bianche (March 4), the day after he will be at the start of the Paris-Nice – where he will face Jonas Vingegaard in a stage race for the first time since the Tour – , and then Sanremo, Dwars, Flanders, Freccia Vallone and Liège. Little hibernation at the end of spring, when he will see Evenepoel and Roglic butting each other on TV at the Giro, and then Slovenia and the Tour de France for the trio. The big crash with Vingegaard will start from Bilbao, not far from where Pogacar revealed himself to the world during the 2019 Vuelta.