Have we lost perspective on Tadej Pogačar's power? A recent Strava upload and the reaction to it has given me reason to believe that we need to recalibrate our own sense of what his power data really reveals – or doesn't. Cor Vos, Kramon, discusses the recent solo ride from Valencia to Calpe, and the power numbers that followed. While Pogačar's power numbers are big, it's not as controversial as saying the Alps are hilly. You don't set endless records on historic alpine climbs without some serious watts per kilogram numbers. However, the issue is that while the Slovenian is a serial Strava uploader, he, like many other pros, keeps all his power data private. But the data blackout ended recently, when he went on a solo ride from Valencia to Calpe. The ride itself was 132 kilometers with 435 meters of elevation gain, and took three hours and 14 minutes. This works out to an average speed of 40.9 km/h. Impressive? Obviously. But is it surprising? Only if you haven’t been paying attention for the last five seasons. Pogačar has proven he can average over 45 km/h deep into five-hour Monuments with far more climbing and intensity preceding it. To hold almost 41 km/h, Pogačar averaged 299 watts, with a normalized power of 312 watts; that's a remarkably steady effort given the length of the ride and the climbing towards the end of it. But as for what it says about Pogačar's abilities, the post is much less notable. For most amateurs, the idea of riding at 300 watts for over three hours feels borderline absurd. But that’s precisely the point. For Pogačar, it’s not. And treating it as if it is notable says more about our perception than it does about the ride itself, or the rider responsible for it. Did we do a good job with this story? We'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. Do you think we've lost perspective on Pogačar's power? Or do you think we're overstating the significance of his ride?
