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Tadej Pogačar broke into victory and the yellow jersey in the time trial from stage 20 to La Planche des Belles Filles. For the phenomenal ride, which will give him the overall victory of the Tour de France, the young Slovenian opted not to use a cycle computer, disabling the use of power or heart rate data to measure his effort on the 5.9 km uphill. He still made the fastest ascent of the climb despite a 200-meter bike change on the ascent, beating Fabio Aru’s time in 2017 by two seconds.
On reaching stage 20, Pogačar was 57 seconds behind his rival, friend and compatriot Primož Roglič. His task was simple but complex at the same time; Do your best to make up that time, but not too soon, as the La Planche slopes would punish, as they did with Roglič.
As the Slovenian national time trial champion, Pogačar started the stage aboard a custom designed Colnago K-One time trial bike with his Colnago logos blazing in the colors of the Slovenian flag. A heart rate monitor was not used, but among its custom-shaped Speedbar aerodynamic extensions was a Stages Dash computer, displaying the numbers from the Stages power meter that was installed on its Campagnolo Bora Ultra aero crankset.
Pogačar’s phase one was a measured effort, but it still brought him to the end of the climb faster than anyone except two-time world time trial champion Tom Dumoulin, and 36 seconds above his Roglič goal.
Like many of his rivals, Pogačar opted for the bike change at the foot of the climb. He spent only seven seconds immobile and another five regaining speed, but it was from now on that Pogačar flew blindly aboard the Colnago V3RS.
With your integrated cable routing, your Deda Alananera handlebar is already remarkably clutter-free, but it was particularly empty today. No Stages Dash bike computer was found, nor could the Stages hardware be found on the Campagnolo Super Record crankset and of course not a heart rate monitor either.
Thanks to the introduction of the power meter, professional bike racing can be compared to a continuous math problem. Chris Froome’s numerous Tour successes have involved ignoring accelerations in favor of a steady-state effort, measured by the numbers on his head unit. Elsewhere, sprinter teams staggering on getaways will do so using calculations to ensure the catch happens, but not a moment too early.
However, it is in a time trial where this data can be most beneficial. Riders will know their capabilities and use the power meter to ensure they stay within them. Waiving these data opens the rider to get carried away by the excitement of the occasion and the adrenaline of the screaming fans, which could result in going too hard too early. Going red too early, especially during a time trial ending in a category one climb, can end in disaster.
However, conversely, a power meter can also slow down a rider, and a day when Pogačar needed to close a 57-second deficit was not a day to brake.
For many riders, a place on the Tour de France podium is too big to risk losing. But for the 21-year-old Pogačar, just a “boy from Slovenia” who has already realized his dream of simply being in the Tour de France, and who has a whole career of Tour de France attempts ahead of him, disaster was a risk. little. to wear when the yellow jersey is the reward.
