What a weird hobby, trolling the best cyclist in the world. Someone seems to be getting kicks out of flagging Tadej Pogačar’s remarkable rides at the Giro d’Italia on Strava.
On Sunday, Tadej Pogačar beat 2014 champion Nairo Quintana, clinching his fourth victory with a remarkable show of strength. And someone flagged his ride on Strava.
Flagging the champ
Pogi’s rode 6:11:41 for the 220-km Stage 15, and his caption on the training platform read: “Who TF flagged me?”
Well, it happened again.
Flagging on Strava, if you’re not familiar, occurs when a user highlights an activity as questionable, typically due to implausible speeds or unrealistic Segment KOMs. The worst part for someone if their ride is legit and it’s flagged, is their results are removed from Segment leaderboards.
A rare second on a mountain stage
On Wednesday, Tadej Pogačar didn’t win the mountain stage, but he still increased his lead in the GC. The Team UAE-Emirates finished second behind George Steinhauser of EF Education-Easypost .
The German claimed his first professional win atop Passo Brocon at the end of Stage 17, after finishing third on Stage 15.
At first, the ride showed no KOMs since it was flagged. Later the flag was removed, thus restoring Pogačar’s KOMs. That included his new record on the Passo di Foscagna climb. An incredible attack took nearly two minutes off the previous KOM.
People flag Tadej Pogačar on Strava often
“It happens a lot. It’s a funny moment but it’s good that people can see how fast we actually go on some of these iconic climbs,” the maglia rosa said after the race.
Interestingly, this isn’t the first time someone has flagged the Slovenian’s ride. After he won the 2023 Tour of Flanders, his KOM on the Oude Kwaremont was reported as well. Pogačar had shattered the record by 11 seconds.
Pogačar’s massive lead at the Giro d’Italia
Thursday’s stage at the Giro d’Italia is from Fiera di Primiero to Padova, for a total of 178 km. Pogačar currently leads the overall classification over Daniel Felipe Martínez (BORA – hansgrohe) by a whopping 7:42, and 8:04 over 2023 runner-up Geraint Thomas (INEOS Grenadiers).
You can watch the Giro d’Italia on FloBikes.com
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