He didn't just win. He dismantled the thing. When we look back at the Giro d’Italia winner from 2024, Tadej Pogačar, we aren’t just talking about a guy who wore a pink jersey for three weeks. We’re talking about a tectonic shift in how Grand Tours are raced. Usually, these races are a game of chess played at 40 kilometers per hour. You wait. You conserve. You hide in the wheels and pray your rivals catch a cold or a flat tire. Pogačar basically walked onto the board, kicked the table over, and started playing a different game entirely.
It was ridiculous, honestly.
By the time the race hit the final processional in Rome, the Slovenian had a lead of 9 minutes and 56 seconds over Daniel Martínez. That is a lifetime in modern cycling. We’re used to gaps measured in seconds or maybe a couple of minutes if someone really blows up in the high mountains. Ten minutes is a throwback to the days of black-and-white film and riders smoking cigarettes at the finish line.
But this wasn't 1950. This was 2024, against the most scientifically optimized field in history.
The Day the Race Ended (On Day Two)
Most people expected a fight. Geraint Thomas was there, the veteran who knows exactly how to pace a three-week slog. You had Ben O’Connor and Antonio Tiberi looking for a podium. But the Giro d’Italia winner decided the suspense was overrated.
On Stage 2, the climb to Santuario di Oropa, Pogačar suffered a puncture at the worst possible moment. He went down. His front wheel was shredded. For any other rider, that’s a panic attack. For him? He got a new bike, chased back, and then simply rode away from everyone else like they were on cruisers going to the grocery store. He took the Maglia Rosa that day. He never gave it back.
Think about that for a second. Twenty days of defending a lead. Usually, that wears a team out. It creates stress. But UAE Team Emirates looked like they were on a training ride because their leader was so much stronger than the competition that the tactics almost didn't matter.
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It’s Not Just About the Legs
People love to talk about VO2 max and power-to-weight ratios. Sure, Pogačar’s numbers are alien. But what actually makes a Giro d’Italia winner like him different is the "vibes," for lack of a better word. He looks like he’s having fun. While everyone else is staring at their power meters with grimaces that suggest they’re passing a kidney stone, Pogačar is waving at fans and attacking with 50 kilometers to go just because he feels like it.
He won six stages. Six.
In a modern Grand Tour, winning two stages is a massive success. Winning six while leading the General Classification is borderline rude. It’s what Eddy Merckx used to do, and Merckx was nicknamed "The Cannibal" for a reason. Pogačar doesn't seem to want to eat his rivals; he just seems to forget they’re there.
The Double That Everyone Feared
Why does this matter now? Because the 2024 Giro was only half the story. The real goal was the Giro-Tour double. No one had done it since Marco Pantani in 1998. For over two decades, the consensus was that it was physically impossible. The Giro is too hard. The recovery time is too short. If you go deep in Italy, you’ll be a zombie by the time the Tour de France hits the Pyrenees.
Except he wasn't.
Watching the Giro d’Italia winner navigate those three weeks was like watching a masterclass in controlled dominance. He wasn't even breathing hard on some of those mountain finishes. He’d cross the line, check his watch, and then do interviews like he’d just finished a light jog. It changed the narrative. It made other teams realize that "waiting for the final week" is a dead strategy when you're up against a generational talent who treats every hill like a finish line.
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What Most People Get Wrong About the 2024 Win
A lot of critics said the field was weak. They pointed out that Jonas Vingegaard wasn't there, or that Remco Evenepoel was focusing elsewhere. That’s a bit of a cheap shot. You can only beat who shows up. And the guys who showed up—Thomas, Martínez, O'Connor—are world-class athletes. Pogačar just made them look like amateurs.
There’s also this misconception that he’s just a "climber." He’s not. He’s a monster on the flats, he’s one of the best time-trialists in the world, and he can descend like a stone falling through a vacuum. He’s a complete rider.
- Stage 7 Time Trial: He took nearly two minutes out of specialist time-trialists.
- The Stelvio Drama: Even when the weather turned and the legendary climb was cut, he didn't blink.
- Monte Grappa: He attacked on the final mountain stage just to put an exclamation point on a race he’d already won two weeks prior.
The Gear That Made the Difference
Cycling is a tech sport now. You don't win the Giro on a steel frame with downtube shifters. The Colnago V4Rs he rode was a piece of engineering porn. Integrated cockpits, 3D-printed saddles, and tires so thin they look like rubber bands.
But even with the best tech, you still have to turn the pedals. The 2024 Giro d’Italia winner averaged speeds on climbs that would have been unthinkable ten years ago. It’s a combination of better fueling (riders are eating upwards of 120g of carbs per hour now) and a training philosophy that prioritizes "polarized" intensities. Basically, they go very slow when it doesn't matter so they can go terrifyingly fast when it does.
Looking Toward the Future of the Pink Jersey
If you’re a fan, you’re probably wondering if anyone can stop this. The short answer? Probably not for a while. The 2025 and 2026 iterations of the race are already being designed to try and find weaknesses in this new breed of "super-rider." They’re adding more gravel, more technical descents, and more explosive finishes.
But Pogačar thrives in chaos.
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When you look at the list of past winners—Hinualt, Indurain, Nibali—they all had a "look." A signature style. Pogačar’s style is unpredictability. You never know when he’s going to go. That makes him the most dangerous Giro d’Italia winner we’ve seen in the 21st century. He’s not just a cyclist; he’s a disruptor.
How to Follow the Next Giro Like a Pro
If you want to understand why this race is the most beautiful (and brutal) thing on two wheels, you need to change how you watch it. Don't just look at the finish line results.
Watch the "Gruppetto"
The riders at the back are often more interesting than the ones at the front. They are fighting just to stay in the race, often finishing 30-40 minutes behind the winner. Their struggle is the real heartbeat of the Giro.
Check the Weather Reports
The Giro is famous for "The Gavia" or "The Stelvio" getting snowed in. May in the Italian Alps is unpredictable. A sunny start can turn into a blizzard in twenty minutes. That’s usually where the race is won or lost—not on the climbs themselves, but in the ability to survive the cold.
Focus on the Breakaway
On transition stages, the "break" is where the drama happens. These are riders who know they won't win the overall race, so they risk everything for a single day of glory. It’s desperate, tactical, and usually ends in heartbreak.
Track the Power Data
Follow accounts on social media that analyze the "Watts per Kilogram." It gives you a sense of just how much effort the Giro d’Italia winner is putting out compared to a normal human. Spoiler: It's about double what a fit amateur can do.
The era of the "boring" Grand Tour is over. We are living in the age of the superstar, and it all started with that 2024 demolition in Italy. If you missed it, go back and watch the highlights of Stage 20. It’s the closest thing to poetry you’ll ever see on a bicycle.
To keep up with the current season, pay close attention to the early-season "Spring Classics." How a rider performs in those one-day races is usually the best indicator of who has the form to become the next Giro d’Italia winner. Watch for the guys who aren't afraid to attack early; they are the ones following the Pogačar blueprint. For the most accurate live data during the race, the official Giro app and ProCyclingStats are your best bets for real-time gaps and climbing speeds.