"Best performance by a teenager ever": how 18-year-old Torres (the new Pogacar?) set bizarre climbing records

It was an insane performance on Saturday in the final stage of the Tour de l'Avenir. Only 18-year-old Pablo Torres, part of UAE Team Emirates' development project, smashed all records and impressively took the stage win.

The sixth and thus final stage of the Tour of the Future ended with the ascent of the Colle delle Finestre. You may remember it from the 2018 edition of the Giro d'Italia. Indeed, on that climb, Chris Froome took off, eventually completing a magnificent solo of just over 80 kilometers (!).

The very talented Pablo Torres smashed Froome's record (four-time Tour winner) on Saturday, which was set on that day at the Giro. The Madrileen digested the tricky climb in one hour and 45 seconds, whereas Froome took 64 minutes and 19 seconds. The record was thus shattered by more than three and a half minutes. According to estimates, the young Spaniard cranked out 6.04 watts per kilogram for just over an hour. It would go into the books as the best performance by a teenager ever.

Torres was logically by far the fastest in Saturday's stage. The number two in the day's results, yellow jersey wearer Joseph Blackmore, crossed the finish line 3 minutes and 43 seconds later. Blackmore won the GC, by the way. Twelve seconds was what Torres was ultimately short of for the final victory in the French stage race. The Spaniard could climb the podium after his impressive win, as he finished second in the general classification.

"It was a tough week," the Spaniard reflected. "Ultimately, I did not win the GC, but we are still happy. The two-stage wins, finishing second in the GC and winning the youth classification, feel great. I'm going home very satisfied."

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