Five-times Tour de France winner Miguel Indurain has added his voice to the refrain of main figures within the sport backing Tadej Pogačar for a second straight victory in biking’s flagship race this summer season.
Indurain argued that even with out the lengthy checklist of triumphs the UAE Team Emirates – XRG star has racked up in his profession, Pogačar’s 2024 Grand Boucle win alone is sufficient to give the Slovenian the standing of prime Tour de France favorite.
“His power, his group and his motivation make him the large contender,” Indurain advised Spanish information company EFE throughout a collection of homages for the centenary of the delivery of Fifties Basque biking trailblazer Jesus Loroño. “He’ll begin [the season] because the favorite.”
“Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) began out as prime Tour contender final yr, as a result of he’d received in 2023, even when his season was then badly affected by that fall in Itzulia,” Indurain argued.
“And being favorite is one thing it’s important to present from day after day, too, in a sport the place there’s at all times numerous potential setbacks, and the place yearly, every race is totally totally different.”
A fan of lengthy phases and ‘the legendary climbs’ in his time, Indurain recognised that lately races are “shorter and punchier, the climbs are manner steeper and there is a rather more aggressive strategy to racing.”
“Everything is rather more managed than it was once, too. There’s a lot info on the market throughout a race, the liberty you used to need to get into breakaways has disappeared.”
“But that is how it’s lately, and it’s important to adapt to that.”
The most up-to-date winner of 5 Tours de France and the one rider ever to take 5 in unbroken succession, from 1991 to 1995, Indurain pointed to Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers), Juan Ayuso and Pablo Torres (each UAE Team Emirates-XRG) because the figureheads of the following era of Spanish racer.
However, Indurain added that in the mean time, “we’re missing an [outright] winner, and that makes it a lot harder.”
“Lots of [Spanish] riders are approaching sturdy they usually do not simply race in dwelling groups, they don’t seem to be terrified of racing for international squads. But lately there are many potential winners, numerous potential contenders.”
“These days it is win or nothing, too. If you simply get a very good outcome and never a victory, individuals do not give it the identical significance as they used to again in my day.”
