Here’s a bold statement: beating Tadej Pogacar in his prime is becoming the cycling world’s ultimate puzzle—one that even the brightest minds in the sport are struggling to solve. But here’s where it gets controversial: is it even possible to outmaneuver a rider who seems invincible, or are we witnessing the rise of an unbeatable champion? Team Visma | Lease a Bike certainly hasn’t given up, and their efforts last year at the Tour de France offer a fascinating glimpse into the lengths teams will go to dethrone the king. Victor Campenaerts, one of Visma’s key strategists, recently shared insights that reveal just how deep the rabbit hole goes.
Last year, Visma didn’t just rely on brute strength or team depth—though they used that too, positioning Jonas Vingegaard perfectly and deploying riders in breakaways to control the race. No, they went further. And this is the part most people miss: their performance team meticulously analyzed Pogacar’s data throughout the race, calculating everything from his power output to his carbohydrate burn rate. The goal? To find his breaking point. As Campenaerts put it, ‘Last year, we tried to make the race extremely hard, and still, Pogacar won.’ But it wasn’t for lack of trying.
In the mountains, Pogacar’s dominance was undeniable. His watts per kilogram (W/Kg) on climbs were unmatched, his endurance across brutal stages was superhuman, and his recovery between stages was flawless. Add to that a rock-solid team supporting him, and you have a rider who seems impervious to pressure—both physical and psychological. Visma’s data analysts even compared Vingegaard’s and Pogacar’s performance metrics, asking questions like, ‘Did we push Jonas harder than Pogacar? Could we have created a bigger deficit?’ The math was done, the aggressive tactics were deployed, but Pogacar never cracked. Visma settled for second place, but they walked away with invaluable lessons.
Campenaerts himself had the ride of his life, excelling in every terrain and posting his best-ever climbing numbers. Beyond his physical contributions, he became a morale booster for the team, sharing daily vlogs that kept spirits high. ‘Everyone keeps getting better,’ he reflected. ‘If you’d shown me my numbers from last year early in my career, I wouldn’t have thought I could win a Grand Tour, but I’d have been aiming for Paris-Nice. The challenge is that riders like Pogacar, Vingegaard, Evenepoel, and Van der Poel keep raising the bar year after year.’
Looking ahead, Campenaerts is set to race both the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France next year, once again as Vingegaard’s trusted lieutenant. His understanding of how top-level teams operate, combined with his seamless transition into a domestique role, has been nothing short of remarkable. ‘In the Grand Tours, it’s not just about watts per kilo,’ he explained. ‘It’s about who can execute when the team manager tells you, ‘Tomorrow, you’re leading the peloton at this point, and you ride until no one else is left.’
Here’s where it gets even more intriguing: Visma’s rider selection process isn’t just about raw numbers. Sure, results and performance matter, but the team also looks for intangibles. Who thrives under pressure? Who brings something extra to the table? Who might disrupt the team’s harmony? As Campenaerts noted, ‘There are riders who dominate in training but fall apart in races. Our performance team is great at spotting that.’
So, is Pogacar truly unbeatable? Or is there a chink in his armor waiting to be exposed? Visma’s relentless pursuit of answers is a testament to the sport’s complexity and the human spirit’s refusal to accept defeat. What do you think? Is Pogacar’s dominance here to stay, or is there a strategy out there that could finally topple him? Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments!
