Pogacar's fast start an ominous sign of things to come at Vuelta a España

Nobody mastered the chicanes and corners of the Monaco Grand Prix circuit like Ayrton Senna, so maybe it was only appropriate that another otherworldly talent would claim the spoils when the Vuelta a España decamped to the principality on Saturday evening.

At first glance, the 9.2km time trial didn’t necessarily lend itself to Tadej Pogačar’s gifts, but then again, nothing is beyond his range these days. All things considered, it wasn’t exactly a surprise to see Pogačar scorch around the course and claim the first maillot rojo of the race. This is simply what he does. 

“Tadej is perfection made cyclist,” UAE Team Emirates-XRG sports manager Matxin Joxean Fernandez said after his rider had racked up his 19th victory of a season that looks increasingly like his greatest yet.

Like Senna, Pogačar is resident in Monaco, and he suggested afterwards that local knowledge – or at least the motivation of racing on adopted home roads – had played a part in his 0.09-second victory over Ethan Hayter (Soudal Quick-Step).

“That 0.09 happened when I passed my apartment because that was the most technical part, and I walk and cycle there every day,” Pogačar smiled afterwards. 

The dispiriting reality for Pogačar’s rivals is that he is at home on just about every kind of parcours. From the gravel of Tuscany to the high mountains of the Tour de France, from the cobbles of Flanders to the hills of the Ardennes, Pogačar has been more or less without peer all season, and that trend looks destined to continue on this Vuelta, where he lines up as the most resounding of favourites.

Pogačar underscored the point in Monaco on Saturday, his first outing since he sealed his fifth Tour victory in Paris a month ago. He showed no signs of rustiness after that brief hiatus, reaching the midpoint just two seconds down on Hayter. As the Briton watched from the hotseat, he would have had a sinking feeling about what was going to happen next.

He won’t have been the only one. Pogačar didn’t simply boost his own confidence by claiming the first red jersey of the Vuelta, he also sapped the morale of his rivals by inflicting some striking early losses upon them.

Despite his crash-interrupted build-up, Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) was still the best of Pogačar’s more established rivals, albeit some 22 seconds down in 24th place. Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) is already 33 seconds down, while Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) has lost 46 seconds and Oscar Onley (Netcompany-Ineos) has conceded 50 seconds.

As well as that sizeable head start, Pogačar will be buoyed by some solid displays from his UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammates, with Jay Vine 13th at 14 seconds and João Almeida 18th at 18 seconds, despite his own downbeat predictions ahead of the Vuelta. His supporting cast looks ready.

With tough stages to Andorra, Valderlinares and the Alto de Aitana in the opening week, the talk before the Vuelta was that Pogačar might tie up the general classification early. His fast start now raises the prospect that he could mimic Tony Rominger in 1994 by leading the Vuelta from start to finish.

Two years ago, after all, Pogačar took the lead of the Giro d’Italia on stage 2 and held it all the way to Rome. The biggest threat to his grip on the maillot rojo across the entire race might come on stage 2 to Manosque, where Wout van Aert (eighth overall at nine seconds) will be among those hoping to amass enough bonus seconds to tip the scales. 

“Tomorrow is for the sprint teams,” said Matxin when asked about Pogačar’s prospects of defending the jersey, though he also batted away the idea that the Slovenian would be able to toggle into energy-saver mode on this Vuelta with the World Championships in Montreal and a home European Championships still to come. “He’s only in the Vuelta now, so he’s enjoying the Vuelta and enjoying the moment.”

Pogačar, meanwhile, talked up the possibility of ceding the maillot rojo on the Vuelta’s first road stage. “Tomorrow could be a good opportunity for a breakaway or a sprint, and for me to lose the red jersey,” he said on Saturday evening. “The gaps are small, and I’ll start the stage enjoying wearing this jersey.”

And whatever about stage 2, it’s hard to imagine anyone else wearing that jersey in Granada on September 13. Pogačar’s fast start feels like a sign of things to come.