Tadej Pogačar, the Slovenian cycling champion, has once again showcased his incredible talent and dominance in the 2024 season by setting a new record on the grueling Vallter 2000 climb during the Catalunya stage race. The Tadej Pogačar Vallter 2000 record is a testament to his unrivaled climbing abilities, as he managed to put significant time into his rivals on the first mountain top finish of the race, despite the challenging cold and wet conditions in the Pyrenees.
The stage, which started on the sunny coast, featured a single climb up the mighty Vallter 2000 (11.2 km, 7.6%). The UAE Emirates climbing squad, including Pavel Sivakov, Marc Soler, and Joao Almeida, set the pace for their leader before Pogačar launched a solo attack between 7 and 8 km from the finish. The 19-year-old Norwegian climber Johannes Kulset spent over four hours on the bike before the final climb, but the low intensity of the day’s parcours made it unsurprising.
Pogačar’s attack was reminiscent of his performance in the 2021 Tour de France, where he gained a substantial lead on his GC rivals in wet conditions on the Col de Romme and Col de la Colombiere stage. In Catalunya, no one was able to respond to his attack or even attempt to hold his wheel.
The Slovenian’s performance was particularly impressive considering the high altitude, as he pushed 6.23 ᵉW/Kg for 31:30 min, breaking the climbing record set by Roglič, Evenepoel, and Ciccone last year by 21 seconds. Adjusting for the average altitude of 1707 meters, Pogačar’s sea-level equivalent performance would be an astounding 6.66 ᵉW/Kg for 31:30 min.
Mikel Landa finished second, 32:53 min behind Pogačar, with an effort of 5.89 ᵉW/Kg. The Slovenian’s dominance was so significant that the time gap between Landa and 23rd-placed Cian Uijtedebroeks was smaller than the gap between Landa and Pogačar. Visma – Lease a Bike had a disappointing day, with their young Belgian GC talent and veteran climber Sepp Kuss struggling to keep pace.
Volta Catalunya
| POS | RIDER -TEAM | TIME | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | POGACAR Tadej -UAE Team Emirates | 04:52:37 | |
| 2 | LANDA Mikel -Soudal Quick-Step | + 01:23 | |
| 3 | VLASOV Aleksandr -BORA-hansgrohe | + 01:24 | |
| 4 | ALMEIDA Joao -UAE Team Emirates | + 01:38 | |
| 5 | MARTINEZ Lenny -Groupama-FDJ | + 01:43 | |
| 6 | HARPER Chris -Team Jayco-AlUla | + 01:44 | |
| 7 | BERNAL Egan -INEOS Grenadiers | + 01:47 | |
| 8 | MAS Enric -Movistar Team | + 01:49 | |
| 9 | POELS Wout -Bahrain Victorious | + 02:03 | |
| 10 | DIAZ Jose Manuel -Burgos-BH | + 02:03 |
As the Giro d’Italia approaches, with the likelihood of cold and rainy stages, it is hard to imagine anyone challenging Pogačar, who seems to have only improved since his impressive March performances.
