📸 Chasing Pogacar: Meet the dog who tried to outsprint the World Champion
Cycling
It seems to be becoming a habit for Tadej Pogacar. The Slovenian world champion had a group of young riders on his wheel during his record attempt on the Col de Rates in Spain last month. On Saturday, it happened again—this time, the UAE Team Emirates leader was followed by someone quite unique: a local dog managed to keep up with him for a while.
On his Instagram page, Pogacar shared footage of the dog, joyfully running alongside him. The "Happy doggo," as Pogi affectionately called his four-legged companion, managed to keep pace for several moments. That the dog eventually had to give up isn't surprising—Pogacar wasn’t on a casual training ride, as evidenced by the 650 watts he was pushing. Whether the dog earned a selfie at the summit, as the young riders did during his previous training, remains unclear.
Read more below the photo!
17-year-old cycling talents Quinten Muys and Jenthe Verstraete also tried to match Pogacar’s pace before the end of the year, but just before the summit, they had to let go of the world champion, who was in full swing and broke the record on the immensely popular training climb, Col de Rates. “I managed to stay in Pogacar’s wheel for another two kilometers. I was pushing 480 to 490 watts,” Muys said at the time. Later, U23 star Paul Seixas tried to break the record with the help of a lead-out, but he fell short by a whopping forty seconds.
Vingegaard also received unexpected companion at training session
Pogacar wasn’t the only one to receive unexpected company during his winter training. Jonas Vingegaard (and his Visma | Lease a Bike teammate Wilco Kelderman) also had an amateur cyclist tagging along during their training camp in Spain. YouTuber Artem Shcherbyna managed to ask a few lighthearted questions to the two-time Tour de France winner before Vingegaard began an intense sprint session. Unsurprisingly, the influencer found it extremely challenging to keep up at that point.
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Latest Comments
- This was very informative! Luiz Antonio Duarte Ferreiraluizantonioduarteferreira02-01-2025
- Well explained, thanks for the clarity! Daniel DantasDanieldantas20-12-2024
- This is the kind of 'news' that belongs in a cheap tabloid. No matter how boring the offseason gets, nobody wants to read this.
santiagobenites19-12-2024 - I wish we could have seen him try. He'd absolutely get dropped before Pogi overtakes his domestiquesVeganpotter10-12-2024
- Talk is cheap! Next year barring crashes with a healthy team... all well be on track! Some need to talk to make a headline!mootman27-11-2024
- I do not see this event listed on HBO Max Sports Online? Can anyone confirm? Thanks!
MrYuck23-11-2024 - It seemed that he was focusing forward at the time of the crash, after seeing a quick video snippet. But one thing I think he should focus on more intently is breaking a bad habit he has, right now. And that is his constant looking over his shoulders. He does that so much, that I am very sure it is not good for him. Simply watch videos of the greats of CX and you will see very little of that constant looking over their shoulders. That is a behavior that betrays a bit of insecurity on his part. He shouldn't be so concerned, incessantly, about what is over his shoulder. He needn't worry they didn't all disappear. He neds to keep his focus more ahead of himself, and he needs to pay a bit more attention to himself, in a confident manner. It is very frustrating to watch, because it is apparent that he has a lot of potential, and is in much better shape thwan many of his competitors, but the mental game needs to be sharpened more, because that part of strategy plays a huge part in the final results
reemmo022-11-2024 - hahahaha love this shit! I didnt even watched the race, but reading all the gossip articles of how stupid this is!Zatoichi19-11-2024
- Van Aert is really handsome. He can influence me all day! Ditto for Philipsen. Why do you think many of us love cycling?: to see heroic attempts at climbing mountains at high altitudes or to watch speedsters sprint for the finish line or to watch a human being ride at break neck speed down a tricky descent? No, it's all about their lean physiques and muscular legs. (apologies for objectifying these dedicated and amazing athletes).BarwonHeadsUp25-10-2024
- It is unfortunate that the author can't feel the joy that Pogacar brings to the sport and his fans who are legion and I for one feel lucky to have watched such a memorable performance and historic season From the Strada until yesterday with multiple wins in stages in both tours and beyond dominance in the World's. He is proud to wear the Rainbow stripes, shows his leadership to protect his fellows and is as courteous and sportsman-like as the sport allows. He goes early to not have to respond to each attack as all the rest would make him do it. Any racer who could would do the same. Don't "grow tired" of greatness as it is always fleeting.ccrider13-10-2024