This year we saw more of what the two can do, with Pogacar taking uncontested and dominant solo wins in races such as Strade Bianche, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, World Championships, European Championships and Il Lombardia. Many argue that the dominance takes away from the tension and excitement that the races could provide, and that there simply isn’t as much entertainment value as with races where they are absent – with the exceptions of when they race against each other in peak form.
“But if you’ve cycled yourself, you know what it takes to do what he does. And even if Pogacar solos to the finish in the Tour of Flanders, cycling fans should appreciate that battle with Van der Poel. And sometimes he still gets caught, right? Look at Amstel Gold Race this spring, for example. Nobody expected that, did they?”
Van der Poel, because of Pogacar, hasn’t had such solo wins this year but in the past has done the same that the Slovenian does. He did however win both Milano-Sanremo and Paris-Roubaix, so there is no basis for any criticism or wondering if his level has descended.
But at some point that is inevitable. “It’s quite possible that things will gradually decline in the coming years for guys like Pogacar and Van der Poel. I know from experience that a classic like this affects certain physical systems in riders. Even with Pogacar, those systems eventually become exhausted. He’s gained so much over the past five years with such enormous efforts that he might become a bit jaded. Then he might not reach his peaks anymore.”
Will van der Poel and Pogacar be able to keep this up?
So the question for Boogerd remains on whether the two riders will want to continue racing with such tactics and if these long-range attacks can ultimately have an effect on them, physically or psychologically, which will take a toll.
“But the bodies of Pogacar and Van der Poel suffer a little trauma every time they deliver such a massive solo. You can’t keep that up forever. Your cortisol levels eventually decline.” However he believes Pogacar does a great working at recovering inbetween races, therefore reducing that risk.
“What they do really well is take a break when they’re at a very high level. For example, Pogacar wins the UAE Tour and then stops racing for a while. That allows him to not necessarily have to train at high intensity, so he never really gets tired. They never have to start from scratch, because that takes a lot of energy. Just look at riders who have to bounce back after a bad crash.”