Power Analysis: Pogačar's Unstoppable Liège-Bastogne-Liège Performance

When Tadej Pogačar lined up for Liège-Bastogne-Liège, he already knew where he would attack: La Redoute.

UAE Team Emirates had a plan in place not too dissimilar from their winning formula at Strade Bianche. Make the race hard, very hard, during the 40-50km preceding La Redoute. Tire the field out as much as possible, and then launch Pogačar into orbit. Only a few riders would attempt to follow him, and they would blow up before they could see the top of the climb.

That was the plan, and that's exactly what happened. Pogačar set a new climbing record on La Redoute despite a headwind. In this article, we'll examine the power data from Liège-Bastogne-Liège and what it took for Pogačar to set a new climbing record.

First Phase of the Race (Kilometer 0 to 217)

Like most monuments, the first 200 kilometers of Liège-Bastogne-Liège are easily forgotten. Few tune into live pictures with 175km to go, but that doesn't mean they're insignificant. The peloton raced up and down the roads of eastern Belgium for over five hours before they reached La Redoute at a pace that would destroy most amateur cyclists.

Ben Healy was one of the strongest riders in this year's Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and without Pogačar, the Irishman might've had a chance to win it. In the first 217km of the race, Healy rode the same race as Pogačar: sit in and save your energy for the final 50km. Healy and Pogačar let their teammates do the hard work of riding in the wind, but that didn't make the climbs very easy.

In Healy's Strava file, we can see the moments when UAE Team Emirates came to the front and upped the tempo. On the climbs, Healy's power went from ~300w to ~400w, and this wasn't even the hard part yet.

Healy - Kilometer 0 to 150

Time: 3 hours 45 minutes

Average Power: 202w (3.1w/kg)

Normalized Power: 264w (4.1w/kg)

Take a look at the difference in Healy's power once UAE Team Emirates came to the front. Doman Novak was the MVP for Pogačar, spending countless kilometers on the front and climbing the final hills at 6-6.5w/kg.

Healy - Kilometer 150 to 217

Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Average Power: 257w (4w/kg)

Normalized Power: 339w (5.2w/kg)

Côte de Wanne: 6:50 at 409w (6.3w/kg)

Côte de Stockeu: 5:25 at 423w (6.5w/kg)

Col du Rosier: 10:11 at 383w (5.9w/kg)

Côte de Desnié: 4:10 at 430w (6.6w/kg)

Pogačar Sets a New Record on La Redoute

Just as everyone expected, Pogačar launched off his teammate's pacing on the Côte de La Redoute, one of the hardest climbs in the race, and Remco Evenepoel's launchpad of choice for the past few years.

At the bottom of La Redoute, the rider order was Novak, Healy, and Pogačar, so we can assume that Healy and Pogačar were pushing nearly the same power. We can see the exact moment that Pogačar attacked in Healy's power file: it's the moment that Healy's cadence goes from 105 rpm to 85 rpm as he gets out of the saddle to try and follow Pogačar.

Healy was pushing 650w (10w/kg) at that moment, but Pogačar was opening up the gap. Richard Carapaz was the only rider able to get on Pogačar's wheel, but even that only lasted for a few pedal strokes. Healy averaged nearly 500w on La Redoute and still lost 22 seconds to Pogačar, who set the fastest time ever on the climb, even with a headwind.

Healy - La Redoute

Time: 4:30

Average Power: 476w (7.3w/kg)

Pogačar - La Redoute

Time: 4:08

Estimated Average Power: ~530w (8.2w/kg)

When Pogačar went over the top of La Redoute, he had a 10-second gap and 34km to go. There was still plenty of work to do, but the Slovenian was more than up to the task. Not only did Pogačar extend his gap to almost two minutes, he went up the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons in near-record time.

Healy was among the best of the rest in the chase group, and he rode away from almost everyone. The Irishman climbed the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons in four minutes and 13 seconds.

After being solo for 20 kilometers, how much time do you think Pogačar lost to the chase group on the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons? It's a trick question. He didn't.

Pogačar climbed the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons in three minutes and 49 seconds, a full 20 seconds faster than Healy and six seconds faster than Maxim Van Gils, the fastest rider in the chase group.

Healy - Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons

Time: 4:13

Average Power: 439w (6.7w/kg)

Pogačar - Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons

Time: 3:49

Estimated Average Power: ~490w (7.5w/kg)

In the final 15 kilometers, Pogačar cruised to victory ahead of Romain Bardet, who was able to break away from the chase group. Mathieu Van der Poel came back to win the sprint for third and extend his incredible record of monument podiums.

There isn't much to say about Pogačar that hasn't already been said. In any race with a significant climb, Pogačar is the best rider in the world. He's the favorite for almost every race that he lines up for, and he can't stop delivering. Everyone knows what's going to happen, and they still can't stop Tadej Pogačar from riding away to victory.

Power Analysis data courtesy of Strava

Strava sauce extension 

Riders: 

Tadej Pogačar

Ben Healy