All eyes on the pseudonym 'Mou', Pogacar and UAE are curious after a series of revelations

Mou made a splash in late February on the Cyclingnews forum, immediately standing out with some bold statements. Claiming to have insider information about the workings within UAE-Team Emirates, his predictions and comments about Tadej Pogacar were particularly striking. Even before the Slovenian started his 2024 cycling season, the person, claiming to be from Croatia, asserted that this would be Pogacar's best year ever.

Some statements (the full list can be found at the end of this article), which have proven accurate by mid-July, are drawing attention again. He introduced himself by claiming insight into Pogacar’s training. "His FTP is 431 watts, or 6.58 watts per kilogram. I can tell you with certainty that this will be Pogacar’s best season ever; he will dominate everyone."

"For the Giro, he will weigh 65 kilograms, he will win both time trials, in fifteen minutes he achieves 7.3 w/kg, twenty minutes 7 w/kg, 6.7 w/kg in thirty minutes, and anything over forty minutes 6.5 w/kg. He will attack in the first two stages, build on Prati di Tivo and in the time trials, and then control from there," Mou predicted back then. "And then he will lose another kilogram for the Tour, while his power will remain the same. If Vingegaard can match that..."

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Not only Pogacar’s power numbers are discussed, but other inside info is also shared. From March 1: "I can tell you that Tadej trains three times a week on the time trial bike and improved his test at the Valencia velodrome by 45 seconds, and has also worked with expert Alex Bacilli on his heat training. That was his problem in the past years, partly due to fraud Inigo San Millan."

Mou frequently criticizes the former trainer of the Slovenian superstar. "With him, he never did heat training, just boring zone 2 training. It's like putting diesel in a Ferrari, but with Javier Solo coming in, everything will turn around. It’s the same difference as Matteo Jorgenson moving from Movistar to Visma, I hope you all understand, or else you'll see in the Tour."

San Millan is no longer full-time at UAE-Team Emirates. "The relationship with Pogacar cooled after his crash in Liege-Bastogne-Liege last year. Tadej wanted a different plan for his altitude training because he lost twenty days due to that crash, but Inigo struggled with that. Then Tadej realized it had to be different, and with top coach Javier Sola, he's riding two levels higher." Sola was approached on the recommendation of teammate Domen Novak.

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The mole Mou also exposes some tactical details. For instance, Juan Ayuso is said to feel a certain type of jealousy towards Pogacar and was allowed to participate in the Tour only at the insistence of talent scout Matxin, whom the mysterious figure also criticizes tactically. However, there appears to be a good relationship with others such as Isaac del Toro, Rafal Majka, Tim Wellens, Adam Yates, and Joao Almeida. "Pogacar is the only one in the world for whom Almeida would ride in the lead," Mou revealed, having since found his way to platform X after being removed from Cyclingnews.

How much of this is true? That remains a question, but even Pogacar was asked about it on Wednesday. "Maybe I should turn the question around because I have no idea," he told the journalists. "Yes, I've heard in the last two days that he's getting a lot of attention. I think he gets some things right, but he's also often wrong. I don't know what he wants, I think he just wants to be someone online." The saga continues, as even the top brass at UAE-Team Emirates are now keen to unmask this mole...

Tweets: who is 'Mou', who publishes all kinds of info regarding Pogacar?

Tratnikuchismo

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Who is this mythical prophet »mou« who made the cycling world go crazy today and leaks information about Tadej Pogačar? A THREAD 1/N

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Tratnikuchismo

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Most of relevant posts on cyclingnews forum by mou in (hopefully) chronological order. A THREAD Will post more about mou in 30 mins

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