<\/p>\n
\u201cFor everyone else, it\u2019s impossible,\u201d Moser said. \u201cFor him, \u2018just\u2019 extremely difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n
Why Pogacar changes the rules<\/p>\n
Moser\u2019s argument is not built on Pogacar\u2019s palmares alone, but on how the Slovenian wins.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe drops everyone? Fine. What interests me is when and how,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd his mental superiority over the others impresses me as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
That mental edge, in Moser\u2019s view, is what separates Pogacar from recent dominant figures. Rather than following expected scripts, Pogacar consistently reshapes races around his own strengths, whether on cobbles, long climbs or rolling terrain.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe he can manage at least another two or three seasons like this,\u201d Moser added.<\/p>\n
It is that sustained level, rather than a single peak year, that leads Moser to believe the full Monument set is not out of reach.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor 2026, in fact, I would like to bet on one thing,\u201d he said. \u201cThat he could win all five Monuments.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sanremo as the turning point<\/p>\n
Moser pointed to Milan Sanremo as a symbolic moment in modern racing, particularly in how Pogacar and his rivals reshaped the race far from the finish.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many years had we been waiting for the race to light up already on the Cipressa?\u201d he said. \u201cAnd until 500 metres from the finish we did not know whether Van der Poel, Ganna or Pogacar would win. Magnificent.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Moser, that unpredictability is precisely why Pogacar\u2019s dominance does not dull the spectacle.<\/p>\n
\u201cChampions do not bore people,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd Pogacar is pure enjoyment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Italian hopes beyond Pogacar\u2019s era<\/p>\n
While Pogacar dominates the present, Moser also looked toward Italy\u2019s future Grand Tour contenders, naming two riders he believes could eventually carry the flag.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the long term, without doubt Lorenzo Finn, because of his completeness,\u201d he said. \u201cEven if when he arrives in the World Tour from 2027 onwards he will find a completely different world.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also highlighted Giulio Pellizzari as a rider capable of going all the way in a three week race.<\/p>\n
\u201cA Giro d Italia, he could win one, yes,\u201d Moser said.<\/p>\n
For now, though, Moser\u2019s focus remains on a rider he believes could bridge cycling\u2019s past and present.<\/p>\n
The full set of Monuments has only been completed by the sport\u2019s immortals. In Moser\u2019s eyes, Pogacar has placed himself within touching distance of that same conversation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cFor everyone else, it\u2019s impossible,\u201d Moser said. \u201cFor him, \u2018just\u2019 extremely difficult.\u201d Why Pogacar changes the rules…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":354835,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[569],"tags":[64,63,784,28545,194549,194548,161286,85,6494,19805],"class_list":{"0":"post-354834","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-cycling","11":"tag-eddy-merckx","12":"tag-moreno-moser","13":"tag-rik-van-looy","14":"tag-roger-de-vlaeminck","15":"tag-sports","16":"tag-tadej-pogacar","17":"tag-uae-team-emirates-xrg"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/354834","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=354834"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/354834\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/354835"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=354834"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=354834"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=354834"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}