Tadej Pogacar is ‘absolute animal’ who can win anything – but ‘Visma won’t be worried’ about Tour de France

Just hours after warning the peloton of a long-range attack in his pre-race interview, Pogacar duly delivered on his promise as he dropped the hammer with 81km remaining in Tuscany and spent the remainder of the race on his own upfront.

As a two-hour solo mission reached its glorious final chapter on the final climb into Siena’s Piazza del Campo, Blythe reflected on Eurosport commentary where he ranked the 25-year-old sensation.

“We might never have seen a rider like him – an explosive rider, a fast finisher, a climber, someone who can time trial amazingly, someone who can drop into the Tour of Flanders and win it on his debut,” said Blythe.

“There is probably not a single rider in history that has got the capabilities that this man has got. It’s bonkers.

“You go back to Eddy Merckx, these guys. I don’t even think they were similar to Pogacar. He can do everything at the highest level – not well, the highest level.”

After quickly swapping the commentary box for The Breakaway studio, Blythe continued: “Throughout the history of cycling, I don’t think you can compare him to anyone.

“There’s not a rider who’s been able to do what Pogacar can do to this level. He can win the Tour de France, he can win Flanders, he can win pretty much anything that he wants to win.

“There has never been a rider like him. He’s just an absolute animal on the bike.”

It was Pogacar’s first outing in a bumper season.

He is poised to make his Giro d’Italia debut in May before resuming his quest for a third Tour de France title in a stacked field containing two-time defending champion Jonas Vingegaard, plus Primoz Roglic and Remco Evenepoel.

Not since Marco Pantani in 1998 has a rider in the men’s peloton landed the Giro-Tour double in the same season, with only seven managing it across history.

And despite his impressive win on the white chalk dust roads of Tuscany, Nathan van Hooydonck – who played a key role as Vingegaard won the Tour last year – insisted his former employers Visma-Lease a Bike would not be overly concerned about Pogacar’s latest win.

“I think the guys at Visma-Lease a Bike have the greatest respect for Tadej’s performance but they won’t get worried about the Tour de France. It’s a completely different race,” said Van Hooydonck, who was forced to retire in September last year due to heart problems, on his debut on The Breakaway.

The Belgian also praised Pogacar for helping create a big rivalry between Visma and UAE Team Emirates.

“I can remember when Team Sky [now Ineos Grenadiers] won the Tour de France seven times in a row. They got booed,” said Van Hooydonck.

“I think if Tadej wasn’t at the Tour de France, the same thing would have happened to our team. It would have been the same dominance if you take Tadej out. I think it’s a blessing for cycling to have all these great champions.”

However – perhaps tongue in cheek, perhaps doubting even Pogacar could ride the Giro and Tour at 100% – Van Hooydonck predicted a Vingegaard, Roglic and Evenepoel one-two-three at the Tour in July…