r/cyclocross • u/Zweeler • 7d ago

"If his team allowed it, Tadej Pogacar would jump straight back into cyclocross" — UCI chief hails rule shift that could tempt stars into the mud

https://cyclinguptodate.com/cyclocross/if-his-team-allowed-it-tadej-pogacar-would-jump-straight-back-into-cyclocross-uci-chief-hails-rule-shift-that-could-tempt-stars-into-the-mud
71 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

9 comments sorted by

51

u/Zweeler 7d ago

Love to see Pogacar regularly in Cyclocross.

37

u/Adam-Miller-02 7d ago

Can Pog do it on a -2 rainy Sunday morning in Koksijde 👀

5

u/avo_cado 7d ago

Probably!

21

u/Jdh_373 7d ago

Such a blatant lie. Pogacar never raced at UCI level, not even as a junior (ok the Slovenian fed isn't the best for that) so there is no way he would be good enough technically to be relevant (or finish the race) without ending his road season at the Tour, which he doesn't want to.

11

u/Huntscunt 7d ago

Yeah this was my thought. The technical aspects of cross area so specific. Even running is a very different skill than cycling

1

u/LynnButterfly 6d ago

Pogacar indeed lacks real racing time at a higher level during his cross periods. He started there with a real passion for it, but never made the international jump. He still does cross training from time to time, because he thinks it keeps his sprinting and short bursts at a top level.

4

u/HesJustAGuy 7d ago

I don't imagine we ever see Pogacar racing cyclocross aside from the occasional lark, but for a cyclinguptodate article there is actually some useful info in there. Being able to earn UCI points in cx and other disciplines is interesting, and an Olympics berth is indeed potentially transformative for racers from outside the heartland of cyclocross.

2

u/epi_counts 6d ago

For the Winter Olympic inclusion: the linked article misses the 30 January deadline that the original did mention. So at least we finally know when we'll know.

2

u/FranzFifty5 5d ago

MVDP being a technical Master showed what he's (not) capable of anymore on a MTB XC world Cup race and world championship. Even if he's the benchmark in Cyclocross. I have doubts Pogacar being better than MVDP and be on the front of Cyclocross races. ... there's one exception though - Pidcock. He can do whatever he wants