Former pro highlights differences between Pogačar and Seixas in Strade Bianche

By now, it almost feels written in the stars: Pogačar attacking on Monte Sante Marie. This year, once again, it proved to be the key point where the Slovenian left his rivals behind. Young Seixas was able to stay with him the longest, but the 19-year-old Frenchman eventually had to give in as well.

American former rider Danielson identified three crucial differences between the pair in that decisive moment. The first was sight line. At the moment of the acceleration, Pogačar can be seen looking far up the road, unlike Seixas, who is looking closer to his own front wheel.

“The first big thing that stood out to me was how Tadej was focused looking up the road on the climb ahead, while Seixas was looking down more at the road in front of his front wheel,” Danielson said. “While this sounds like a small difference, I believe looking ahead allows you to choose a better gear, find a better line, stay more relaxed, and possibly go faster as a result.”

The second point that stood out to the 47-year-old former pro was the difference in cadence. “While both riders rode at high cadence, Tadej seemed to be even 10 rpm above Seixas, resulting in even more power delivery for likely a lower torque.”

According to Danielson, riding that way demands a lot from the muscles that stabilize the body on the bike. “While this sounds simple, this requires a stronger anchor on the bike through core strength as well as a higher aerobic demand. This also demands more traction on the gravel road, so finding the best line is key.” In other words, Pogačar’s higher cadence once again ties back to his better line choice and superior control in that section.

That fits with what the race itself showed. Pogačar made the winning move on Monte Sante Marie, while Seixas briefly tried to respond before losing contact and eventually finishing an impressive second in Siena.

As a third and final point, Danielson saw a difference in posture and breathing. The four-time Tour de France winner rides with a more open chest, while the Frenchman appears far more closed off. Pogačar also seems to breathe more deeply from the diaphragm.

“Finally, I think it’s interesting to compare both upper bodies. Tadej visibly has a more open chest in comparison to Seixas’s seemingly more closed-up chest. In addition, Tadej appears to be taking deeper diaphragmatic breaths than Seixas,” Danielson said.

He then drew the following conclusion: “I believe both of these key areas around breathing are due to the way Tadej uses his lats to anchor on the bike to push the pedal stroke.” According to the former pro, those are relatively simple details the Decathlon CMA CGM talent can work on in order to move closer to Pogačar in the most decisive phases of the race. “All three points here could possibly make a small difference, but I believe these are simple things that Seixas can work on to come closer to staying with Tadej in the key selection, the moment of urgency.”