Pogacar explains how he gained 2.44 (!) of his 3.41 lead in Giro time trials: "And I still have a lot of margin"

In recent months, Tadej Pogacar tried to downplay his time-trialing skills as a lesser aspect of his arsenal of strengths, but those statements can definitely be discarded after this Giro d'Italia. After already securing a victory on a climbing course on day seven, he casually finished second behind Filippo Ganna in a flat time trial on Saturday.

"I should be very satisfied with this result," Pogacar began, kick off the many flash interviews with a sense of understatement. "After all, I am not very far behind perhaps the best time trialist in the world. Let’s just say that Filippo, along with Remco Evenepoel and Joshua Tarling, is in the group of the very best time trialists. Today, the course suited Filippo better than me, but I certainly enjoyed it. I felt good, especially on the first part, which was very technical and suited me well. I posted a good final time and gained time on my competitors. I'm happy with that."

Pogacar’s plan was indeed to keep up with Ganna's pace for a long time, which he confessed in the press conference afterwards. "We could see from Ganna’s intermediate times that he was riding at a great pace in the second part of the course, which suited him best, so I tried to approach it the other way around: starting fast, which suited me better, with more ups and downs and more turns. The last twelve kilometers were less favorable for me, so I mainly tried to manage my power there. I didn’t want to blow myself up. I already knew at the final checkpoint that I probably couldn't beat Ganna, even if I had found magical legs. Ganna did well and so did I, but he was stronger."

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Pogacar made things exciting for a while in part one of the time trial....

Pogacar worked very hard on his time trial and aims for perfection by the summer

Pogacar, who after his first Giro time trial admitted that he found the time trial bike a bit less appealing for a while, buckled down after a dramatic World Championship time trial in 2023. Together with UAE-Team Emirates, he worked hard to continue developing. "We improved my position already before last year's World Championship time trial, but it turned out to be a bit too aggressive. It messed up my glute muscles and mentally it was also tough. We made the position a bit less aggressive and I have also worked on my physical condition, which has improved with every training since then. I am very satisfied with the direction we have taken and with the improvement of my position, physical condition, legs, motivation... We need to focus on every detail on the bike."

Pogacar emphasizes that he is not there yet. The Giro d'Italia is seen by cycling fans as a sort of disguised training stage towards the Tour de France, and this is certainly true for the time trials. "I continue to make strides in time trialing, just as the whole sport of cycling will in the coming years. And I still have a lot of margin, so let’s take it step by step. I am currently in a good position, but I will need to continue working on the details, also as we head towards the Tour de France. There, we want to pursue perfection, although undoubtedly something new will come up in the coming years that we can work with."

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Pogacar and the time trial bike were not a good match in 2023

3.41 minutes still don't give Pogacar reassurance

After fourteen days, Pogacar defends a 3.41-minute lead over number two Geraint Thomas (INEOS), who overtook Daniel Felipe Martínez (BORA) in the GC thanks to his time trial performance. Pulling out the calculator, one sees that Pogacar gained 1.59 minutes in the first time trial and 45 seconds on Saturday. That means he's gained 2.44 minutes on Thomas in two time trials and 'only' a little under a minute in the other twelve stages. Pogacar is not yet resting easy. "It’s definitely not over, let's be clear. It's not yet decided. The Giro is really just beginning now, after this time trial."

So far in the Giro, we have had two uphill finishes, of which Pogacar only took advantage on day two heading towards Oropa to break away from the rest. He has a point, as the peloton only heads into the true high mountains this Sunday (heading to Livigno) and in the third week. "Although I have gained time, I don't want to draw premature conclusions. You never know what happens in the mountains. Rain, snow, whatever. Let’s knock on wood that I'm in such a good position, because it's not over yet."