Other than Paris-Roubaix, Giro and Vuelta what race is he not doing that you think he should? The guy does them all and tries to win every single one of them.
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I honestly can’t think of anyone since Merckx who can win the breadth of races that Pog can. So your statement that he only does races that suits him is accurate insofar that almost everything suits him. Doesn’t mean he wins everything he enters, but show me the other GC riders that can win the breadth of classics and 1-days he can.
I say all this reluctantly because I will never forgive Pog for what he did to my boy Primoz on planche de belles filles but you can’t deny greatness.
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Bernard Hinault would like a word. 
Classics to grand tours….he won across the spectrum.
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For this weekend…
It is hard to see past Kopecky today - but since (in my mind anyway) she’s won enough this year, I’m hoping SDWorx kind of stuffs it and an outsider wins. I’m pulling for Georgi to mark an early Kopecki move and then somehow a small group gets away and Jastrab wins a small group sprint. But…if I was betting money on it I’d go with Kopecky
Tomorrow feels a lot like a JV redemption - they were the strongest team of the spring (including last weekend) and unless their tire inflation/deflation tech defeats them I see them on the top step. Lets say podium of WVA, la Porte, MVDP. WVA solo with la Porte marking MDVP. Could easily ctrl-h WVA with la Porte or van Barle - really depends on who MVDP marks and how far into the race his team can support him
Semi-outsider…I’d love to see Pederson take it and he’s been in great form. Actual outsider - Kristoff, always Kristoff 
For the Pog discussion…
Dramatically premature to talk about him as an all-time great. He’s certainly had one of the all-time best starts to a career, and I get all starry eyed when I think about the possibilities for him over the next ten years. But…it’s only been a few years and while he’s on an awesome trajectory, but there aren’t enough data points on that graph yet
Further - comparing against eras is impossible. If you took Merckx in his peak fitness and transported him into today’s peloton he’s be pack filler - just because of how the training, nutrition, and lifestyle things have changed.
If you transported 6 month old baby Merckx to a bassinette next to Pog and gave them exactly the same upbringing, training, etc…who knows? Maybe he’d absolutely crush everyone of this era or maybe his genetics aligned with the garbage fueling and amphetamines of his era perfectly and being completely ‘optimized’ (by 2023 standards) would screw him
Likewise - if you took baby Pog back in time and gave him Merckx’s training and lifestyle maybe he’d be garbage - he might require the full suite of 2023 mindset to be the absolutely amazing rider he is.
For me, the bottom line is both are awesome, and comparison is the thief of joy. Appreciate both their accomplishments, and share my starry eyed optimism that Pog is clean and that he continues this run. Win or lose he’s fantastic to watch race and this mini-era (post-froome/contador) is a lot more fun as a spectator, long may it continue
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I agree re comparisons with different eras and the impossibility to compare properlu, however, it is not premature to talk about Pogacar as an all time great. His palmares already (!) rank him as 49th all time in PCS rankings. One of three persons to win Tour and RVV, multiple monuments, etc The question is can he stay healthy and motivated, and if so, I could not see him not making ~top 5 all time based on palmares. However that is a lot of ifs for the top5 in that I agree
I guess we disagree on all time greats definition. He’s not there with his current palmares IMO
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He’s on track so far, and intends to even enter Paris-Roubaix and try to win every monument at some point, that alone makes him special.
Maybe Remco & the Jumbo guys will dominate GC for the next decade and Pog will just look noteworthy but not godlike as at present.
I agree he’s on track, just that he’s not there yet
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Just a heads up, FloBikes has been posting full broadcasts of the classics on YouTube…
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I only got to a chance to watch the highlights. This is great!
Here we go about to hit the 1st sector, really fast so far!
Sagan continually in poor position. Hoping for different, but I don’t see anything happening for him this year
Ooof…Derrick Gee’s (FDJ) front tire just came off the rim in Arenberg. Literally rolled off the rim lucky he kept it upright.
Will be interesting to see if WVA and MVP sit up a bit now that they are last Arenberg.
ETA - guess not! Hammer still down. La Porte flatting is a big blow to Wout now. Reinforcements coming for MVP, too.
If they can’t get rid of Pedersen at 17k it’s his (open to being wrong as a big MVDP fan)
These J-V domestiques are killing me with the hand-ups….hold the damn bottles by their tops with only your fingers. These guys have their hands behind the bottle and it is causing all kinds of problems. Le Porte missed his bottle and jammed his finger earlier, Wout just lost the gel he wanted that was taped to the bottle, Van Hooydonk almost smacked La Porte in the face when his arm was forced backward, etc.
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Fooooook…flat for Wout at the worst possible time.
MVP is gonna win this.
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Real bad luck for WvA there.
Also feel bad for Degenkolb.
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Such a great race…but man, what an anti-climatic finish.
Wout has got to have a severe mental block now….he just can’t beat MVP on the really big days.
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There is a certain irony to WVA always coming in behind the grandson of The Eternal Second……but I hate it.
Hope Wout gets a big win soon.
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