In case you’d missed it, Tadej Pogačar is having a fairly good 2024 to this point. He has solely raced six instances, however has received thrice, and completed on the rostrum twice extra. On the Volta a Catalunya this week, the UAE Group Emirates rider received back-to-back mountain prime finishes, simply underlining how significantly better he’s than the remainder of the sphere.

It leaves the remainder of the sphere with fairly slim pickings. Mikel Landa (Soudal Fast-Step) stated the quiet bit out loud this week: “Sadly, Pogačar is right here, and meaning victory will likely be actually troublesome.”