'Pogacar is something I’ve never seen before': Ion Izagirre on cycling's changing eras

Ion Izagirre closed the curtains on his distinguished career at Il Lombardia earlier this month, having competed across different generations of the sport. 

The Basque rider retired with 20 victories to his name, including four Grand Tour stage wins, and he won a record-equalling third GP Miguel Indurain this season, while a fractured wrist threatened to scupper his Lombardy farewell. 

Despite having shared the peloton with the likes of Alberto Contador, Chris Froome and Vincenzo Nibali, Izagirre admitted that Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) sits in a stratosphere of his own. 

“I’ve ridden with great riders, such as Contador, Wiggins, Froome, and Nibali, but Pogačar is something I’ve never seen before,” Izagirre told Diario Sport. 

“He’s a versatile rider, capable of performing on any terrain and in any conditions. When you’re in the peloton, you realise just how many watts he’s putting out.”

Izagirre’s career and the success that it brought provide a clear illustration of how cycling’s leading figures have changed. 

In 2016, Izagirre claimed his first Tour de France stage, descending his way to a solo victory in rain-soaked conditions in Morzine. Behind, Froome and Team Sky successfully defended the yellow jersey, for the Briton’s third Tour triumph. 

Seven years later, the Basque rider would claim his second and final Tour stage win with another solo victory from the breakaway in Belleville-en-Beaujolais, while behind it was Jonas Vingegaard and Pogačar who served as the yellow jersey contest’s main protagonists.

Having experienced both eras first-hand, Izagirre also highlighted Alejandro Valverde for his professionalism, whom he spent three seasons with at Movistar from 2014 to 2016.

“He was a brilliant rider who always got the job done when it was your turn to be his domestique. He was a professional through and through; he looked after himself and trained like no one else.”

Meanwhile, Izagirre also reflected on the evolution of equipment and science in the modern peloton, though he believes that the fundamentals remain unchanged. 

“I think everything is changing, and cycling is no exception. Above all, I’ve noticed that research and improvements in materials have changed a great deal,” he said.

“The same goes for training: new studies are constantly emerging, although the basics remain the same.”

With his time in the peloton now at an end, Izagirre is ultimately looking forward to the next phase of his life.

“A new chapter in my life is beginning, one that will be different and wonderful: spending time with my family and watching my daughters grow up.”