If you’re into superheroes or the Marvel universe, you’ll know there’s one character—or rather, entity—that can do it all: Eternity. This being is basically the creator, capable of granting and stripping powers, shaping planets, channeling energy, and destroying galaxies without breaking a sweat. A little like Tadej Pogačar, who may not be creating planets, but is certainly untouchable, dictating the pace of the peloton and dishing out power (or taking it away) from his fellow riders.
Today, as he obliterated the competition to win Il Lombardia 2024, he’s punctuated a galactic season with a statement victory, already boasting the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France, World Championship, and two Monument Classics. We really make an effort not to bring up Eddy Merckx every time – each era has its superstars and heroes after all – but to grasp the magnitude of what Pogačar is pulling off, such a comparison is, quite simply, necessary. Only Eddy did better, winning three Monuments along with the Giro, Tour, and Worlds in 1972.
We should consider ourselves lucky – what we are witnessing is the saga of a rider so extraordinary that it’s almost a shock how ordinary he seems off the bike. Today, he dropped the Olympic champ Remco Evenepoel, himself a rare talent, by a staggering 3 minutes and 16 seconds. Yet Evenepoel must be starting to curse his luck at being born in the same era as this Slovenian phenom. Just one deadly attack on the Colma di Sormano was all it took to put the finishing touch on the 118th edition of the Dead Leaves Classic.
From the moment he turned pro, Pogačar started winning, and by his second year, he already had a Tour de France in his palmarès. Many thought his peak had come early, but nothing could be further from the truth. Year after year, he has climbed to new heights, the likes of which modern cycling has never
Pogačar himself claims that repeating a season like this will be close to impossible. Maybe so, but we can bet he’ll try – and we’ll be right here, ready to marvel at whatever comes next. For now, we’ll let him enjoy a well-deserved, peaceful vacation. Come 2025, there will be more records to rewrite.
