What does it take to win the Tour de France? Unfortunately, we don't have a data directly from Tadej. But we have an estimated power of Tadej Pogacar’s winning performance at Tour de France 2021, using both Strava and BestBikeSplit to maximize the precision of data.
Tadej attacked at Coll De Romme from the main bunch on favorites. The data are from the bottom of Coll De Romme to the KOM of Col De Colombiere, 22km long segment, highlighted in red (Col de la Collombière par col de Romme TDF 2021).
Here are the stats:
- Rider name: Tadej Pogacar
- Age 22
- Weight: 66kg
- Distance 22.09km
- 1 015m elevation
- Gradient 4.6% avg
- Speed 24.4km/h
- Duration 54min25s
- Est Power 373w (368w using Strava, 378w using BestBikeSplit)
- 5.65 w/kg
- Estimated FTP 6 w/kg during the 2021 Tour
Tadej Pogačar's performance, maintaining 5.65 watts per kilogram for nearly an hour, is truly remarkable. To put this in perspective, this level of output is not only physically demanding but also showcases his elite cycling capabilities, especially considering the context in which it was achieved. This effort came after already completing seven challenging stages and covering 110 kilometers earlier in the day. This highlights not just raw power but also extraordinary endurance and strategic racing acumen.
There are three key areas where Tadej demonstrates dominance that enabled this incredible performance:
- Recovery Ability: Tadej’s capacity to recover quickly from day to day is crucial in stage races like the Tour de France. Recovery is a critical skill for professional cyclists, as it allows them to sustain high performance over consecutive days of hard racing. Tadej's ability to bounce back after each demanding stage and still deliver a performance like this shows his exceptional physiological conditioning and recovery strategies. This could involve a combination of superior nutrition, sleep, active recovery techniques, and possibly even innate physiological traits.
- Threshold Power: Based on this effort, Tadej's threshold power is estimated to be around 400 watts, equating to approximately 6 watts per kilogram. This is well within the range of world-class FTP (Functional Threshold Power), which typically starts at around 5.8 watts per kilogram for elite male cyclists. FTP represents the maximum average power a cyclist can sustain for an hour, and having a high FTP is a strong indicator of a cyclist’s endurance and aerobic capacity. Tadej's ability to maintain such a high level of output suggests not just peak power but also sustained endurance.
- Fatigue Resistance: Another critical aspect of Tadej's performance is his high fatigue resistance. Fatigue resistance refers to a cyclist's ability to maintain power output over prolonged periods of exertion and not experience a significant drop-off in power as they accumulate fatigue. This is particularly important in multi-day races where maintaining consistent performance across different stages can be the difference between winning and losing. Tadej's minimal power drop-off, even after extended periods of riding and multiple hard stages, underscores his robust endurance and exceptional conditioning.
Together, these three elements — superior recovery ability, high threshold power, and exceptional fatigue resistance — are what set Tadej apart from many of his competitors. His performance is not just a testament to his physical strength but also to his meticulous preparation, strategy, and resilience, making him a formidable contender in any race he enters.
