Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) and Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) returned to their winning ways in UCI WorldTour stage races with the overall victories in Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico a few months after they lost their respective Grand Tour crowns.
273 days is a long time to wait… It’s the unusually long period without a Slovenian success in a UCI WorldTour stage race, dating from Primož Roglič’s triumph in the 2022 Critérium du Dauphiné to last Sunday, when the leader from Jumbo-Visma claimed the victory in Tirreno-Adriatico while his compatriot Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) ruled Paris-Nice in his first participation in the “Race to the Sun”.
The two Slovenian stars have returned to the stage after having lost the 2022 Tour de France (Pogačar was ousted by Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard in 2022 after having won the two previous editions) and La Vuelta Ciclista a España (Roglič, winner of the three previous editions, crashed out of the race as Remco Evenepoel conquered his first Grand Tour). Paris-Nice was “Pogi’s” first participation in a UCI WorldTour stage race since the Tour de France (he has won one-day races such as the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal and Il Lombardia in between) while Tirreno-Adriatico was “Rogla’s” first race since La Vuelta (after which he had a shoulder surgery).
Both Pogačar and Roglič have now won UCI WorldTour stage races every year since 2019. Roglič’s streak even dates back to his victories in the 2018 editions of the Itzulia Basque Country and the Tour de Romandie. The pair has now accumulated 20 overall standing victories in stage races at the most prestigious level of road cycling.
Pogačar rises with the sun
Tadej Pogačar’s return to competition took many by surprise. He was expected to compete at the UAE Tour, Strade Bianche and Tirreno-Adriatico, events that he had dominated in the previous year… but instead he headed to Spain, where he smashed the Jaen Paraiso Interior and La Vuelta a Andalucia Ruta Ciclista del Sol, before heading to France and his first participation in Paris-Nice. A race that Roglič claimed last year after having abandoned in 2021, crashing in the last stage while wearing the yellow jersey.
Pogačar was more fortunate during the 8-stage race, which traditionally ends with an explosive stage in the hills surrounding the Nice area. Not only did the Slovenian wonderkid (he’s still only 24 years old) maintain his stronghold on rivals such as Groupama-FDJ’s David Gaudu (second in the final overall standings) and Jumbo-Visma’s Jonas Vingegaard (third), but he also asserted his dominance by claiming the third stage win in a week, launching a solo attack on the iconic Col d’Eze.
Out of 81 editions, this is the 20th time the leader of Paris-Nice has settled the overall victory with a win in the last stage. On 17 occasions, it was won in an individual time-trial, most often up the Col d’Eze (Eddy Merckx was the first in 1969 and Richie Porte the most recent in 2013). Pogačar is only third to do it in an in-line stage, succeeding French Louison Bobet (1952) and Jean-Pierre Munch (1953) seven decades ago.
“It was my dream to win Paris-Nice and now that I’ve done it, it’s incredible”, Pogačar rejoiced with a massive smile and a light heart. “Even if I don’t win anything until the end of the season, it’s still not bad”. But be assured he’ll be aspiring for more success, with big Classics coming up before he returns to the Tour de France.
"Gagner #ParisNice a toujours été un objectif, un rêve. Maintenant que je l'ai fait, c'est incroyable. Partager le podium avec @DavidGaudu et Jonas Vingegaard, c'est spécial. Ce sont deux coureurs de grande classe."
— Maillot Jaune LCL (@MaillotjauneLCL) March 12, 2023
Le Cannibale 💛@TamauPogi a bien mangé cette semaine 😁 pic.twitter.com/pu0uSNLPbj
Roglič’s triumphant return to Italy
Like Pogačar, Roglič made some late changes to his season schedule. And it turned out pretty good. Tirreno-Adriatico was his first Italian stage race since the 2019 Giro d’Italia, where he took his first Grand Tour podium (third place). It was also his first participation in the “Race of the Two Seas” since 2019, when he edged Adam Yates with a very close margin in the overall standings (1’’).
Since then, Roglič has become one of the most successful riders in one-week races, and he was especially dominant the last few days in Italy. Cautious in the first stages, he made his first winning move in Tortoreto (stage 4), where he beat Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal Quick-Step) in the uphill sprint. At the end of the day, Lennard Kämna (Bora-Hansgrohe) was wearing the leader’s blue jersey. But Roglič was ready to strike.
The Slovenian champ went on to win stages 5 and 6 in Sassotetto-Fonte Lardina and Osimo. Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) took the last sprint, in San Benedetto del Tronto, where Roglič triumphed not only in the overall standing, but also in the points and mountain standings.
“One week ago I was just expecting to suffer”, Roglič said. “It's even better to win when it's unexpected. It feels good ahead of the Giro d'Italia too.” Before he returns for more conquests in italy, he is also expected in the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya, where he’s set to battle with Evenepoel.