Pogacar is fed up with the media and offers up the pink jersey, hints at keeping his winning time trial strategy a secret

Tadej Pogacar has further solidified his lead in the pink leader's jersey after an impressive time trial on the seventh day of the Giro d'Italia. Representing UAE Team Emirates, the Slovenian left his competitors in the dust on the final climb, finishing a remarkable 32 (!) seconds ahead of the runner-up. During the post-race interviews, Pogacar was somewhat coy about his strategy for the time trial and seemed noticeably agitated by the relentless media attention and praise.

At the first checkpoint of the 40.6-kilometer time trial, Pogacar slower than Filippo Ganna by 44 seconds, and by 47 seconds at the second checkpoint. Nothing pointed to a convincing victory, but despite this, he managed an unexpected victory. "I started the time trial at a relaxed pace, controlled and then went full throttle on the climb. I'm very pleased with how I felt on the bike today. I wasn’t too tired at the start of the climb, which allowed me to really push hard," Pogacar shared in the initial flash interview.

Team director Mauro Gianetti revealed to IDLProCycling.com and other media outlets that UAE Team Emirates had meticulously planned their strategy. "However, seeing the gaps at the first and second checkpoints, I was concerned it might be a challenging day. Our strategy was to conserve energy in the first forty minutes because the real difference would be made in the finale. I started to feel hopeful when Daniel Felipe Martínez (BORA-hansgrohe) climbed 35 seconds faster than Ganna. Ultimately, Tadej pulled off another typical 'Tadej' move."

Gianetti wasn't surprised by Pogacar's push for the win. "In a time trial, you have to give it your all, and when you're the best, victory is always within reach," he boasted about his leader. "It was tough to beat Ganna in such a time trial, but Tadej has shown he’s in top form and is ready for the remainder of the Giro. The GC looks promising, though I had anticipated smaller gaps. Yet, managing such a long time trial was admittedly challenging."

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Tadej Pogacar

Pogacar pleased with time trial changes, but expected the competition to be better

Pogacar received no updates on time differences during the race, a choice he made himself. "I saw the gaps at the official checkpoints, but the most important thing for me was to be well-guided by the team car. It was tricky with the wind, so we focused on ourselves," the race leader said at the press conference. "We prepared well for this time trial because it was crucial. A good strategy was essential, and I executed it well. I started off calmly and then accelerated when my legs felt good. In the last phase before the climb, I tried to maintain my aero position as best as I could, and on the climb, it was full throttle to the top."

The significant gap to Ganna at the second checkpoint was, therefore, not a problem. "I knew the climb suited me better than Pippo, so that was to my advantage. The next time trial on day fourteen, which will be completely flat, will be a tougher story," he said. Pogacar was also somewhat surprised that he had put his general classification competitors at such a significant distance on the final climb. Martínez was 1.49 minutes behind, Geraint Thomas even 2.00 minutes. "I was positively surprised by myself, but I did expect Thomas and Martinez to be closer. It was just a tough day, and if you didn't have the best legs, you paid for it on the final climb. However, we haven't had a real mountain stage yet, so it's not over."

The excellent time trial was also a nice comeback from the 2023 World Championships time trial for Pogacar, where he finished only 21st. "This was my first time trial since that World Championships, finally. That event was truly a nightmare. I almost started to hate time trialing. So, I'm very happy that I was able to strike back like this." He was reluctant to share details on how he improved. "It took a lot of preparation, with ups and downs, but thankfully I felt good. I had to get used to the time trial bike. Since last year, I’ve changed positions on a new bike. I’ve worked on it, to be comfortable on the bike. Especially in a time trial like today, that was important. I won't specifically say what we do because then everyone will start doing it. But I am able to pedal my power and ride comfortably. We prove with hours of work on and off the bike that hard work pays off."

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Pogacar firmly in the pink, but maybe not for long

Now that Pogacar's lead in the general classification has suddenly increased to 2.36 minutes over Martínez and 2.46 over Thomas, the door seems open for riders without general classification ambitions to make a move for the pink jersey. After his victory in the sixth stage, Pogacar had already mentioned that he wouldn't mind losing the leader's jersey, and similar sentiments emerged following his time trial win. "Everyone will want to join the breakaway and attacks will come from far away. There will be opportunities for others, so we need to keep that under control as a team. I have confidence in that, everyone on the team is in great form."

It's not that Pogacar doesn't like wearing the pink jersey, which he has held since his stage win to Oropa on day two. However, he is a bit tired of all the obligations that come with it, especially the media commitments after stages. "If all the media moments were a bit shorter, that would be better for my recovery for the next day," he initially joked in response to a question about whether he thinks he can recover in time for Saturday's mountain finish in the Giro.

He soon continued more seriously: "We do the flash interview, the podium, more interviews in the mixed zone, and then the press conference. In doing so, you repeat yourself ten times on the same four questions. That's the only exhausting part of wearing the pink jersey," said Pogacar, who nonetheless concluded with praise. "I enjoy it otherwise, and it's fantastic to ride with it on the road, also for the team. It gives extra motivation, making it easier to deal with all the stress after a stage."