It all started in the back of a taxi in December for Tadej Pogačar with a cheeky ‘andiamo’ – let’s go. The genesis of a journey of 7,088km, 101,400 metres of elevation gain, 13 summit finishes, four time trials, 39 days as leader, 12 (twelve) victorious stages, wind, rain, snow, roasting heat, bottles gifted to fans, glasses and jerseys given to fellow riders, and a successful attempt at doing what many greats have tried and failed, and only Eddy Merckx and Stephen Roche have done, but no-one since 1987: the Triple Crown of the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France and World Championships.
Cycling’s most complex challenge – his verdict when it was announced: “It’s one of the hardest things to achieve” – rendered all but impossible in the modern age, with him branded foolish for even trying it. But why do just one Grand Tour, when, “in my head, I can do all three if I want,” the 25-year-old stated. Why, too, do just the earliest one, when there’s so much more cycling still to be done. “If you do just the Giro, it’s basically the end of the season,” he pointed out. Why also do only one three-week race, when you cannot only do two, but can win two. “I think after the Giro I’ll have solid time to recover,” he prophetically claimed. And why stop at the Tour when his biggest ambition was not the Giro or the Tour but at the end of the season? "The Worlds!" he laughed when asked what his season's big goal was.
