I hate to say it, but Tadej Pogačar's absence produced some of the most entertaining racing of the year - Luke Tuckwell's column

I want to talk about Tadej Pogačar’s absence from the pro peloton since late August, when he crashed out of La Vuelta a España on stage 8. I was in the race that day, with the crash occurring about two meters to my left.

I want to preface this article by saying that, in my opinion, Pogačar is the greatest cyclist of all time, let alone a wonderful human being who is the best ambassador for our sport. And now, after having been in the same bike race as him multiple times this year (I was going to say ‘competed against him a few times this year’ but there wasn’t really any competition…) I am now even more convinced he is the G.O.A.T.

However, his absence has led to some of the year's most exciting and entertaining racing. I’m going to break down this argument in multiple points, so enjoy the read.

Part 1: La Vuelta's GC battle went down to the wire

The final Grand Tour left on Pogačar’s bingo card, and it will have to remain incomplete for another twelve months.

Pogačar started with a bang in the opening ITT in Monaco, another bang in Andorra, a smaller bang on stage 6, although Enric Mas caught up to him, and then the unfortunate crash on stage 8. I think we were looking potentially at 8+ stage wins for the Slovenian had he finished the three-week race. But I think you, me, and the entire cycling world couldn’t have predicted what La Vuelta would ultimately produce. From Mas’ superb defence and attack of his inherited red jersey, to the multiple different breakaway victories we had in the final two weeks, all of this might not have happened if Pogačar was still in the bunch.

Granted, these things might have still happened, but I highly doubt it.

Pogačar not being in the race meant we could see a lot of riders in a new light. After finishing on the podium four times, Mas was in pole position to take his first Grand Tour victory. Mountain breakaway stages that 99% of the time are controlled by UAE now allowed for riders young and old to take stunning victories, like those of Jakob Omrzel and Mikel Landa. Brennan’s sprinting dominance would most likely have been unchanged with Pogačar in or out of the race.

Instead, we got one of the most exciting GC battles out of all the three-week tours this year. Would Mas hold on? Could Gall use his climbing prowess to take the jersey? Could Roglic use his TT strength and his experience to win a record-breaking fifth Vuelta? All of these questions remained unanswered until the final moments of stage 20, and I am relatively certain these storylines would have struggled to play out if Pogačar was still in the race.

Maybe you could argue that this series of events would have happened anyway because of the fight for the podium, but these battles are far more entertaining when it comes down to first place, not second or third.

Of course, I didn’t watch the race; I was within it, and maybe if I was sitting on my couch at home I would have a different opinion on this, but actually being in the race every day, not knowing what could happen, who could win, and what the GC would look like at the end of the race made for a pretty special race from a rider's perspective. Having someone like Primož as my teammate who was in a serious position to potentially win made every day exciting and rewarding. Maybe if we knew that a podium was all we could achieve with Pogačar in the race, my role as a teammate would have been very different and much more passive throughout the race.

Part 2: A wide-open World Championships

The World Championships road race in Montreal was another race I was part of and experiencing for the first time, but from the start we all knew that Pogačar wasn’t lining up. With his absence, the possibilities for how the race could pan out were endless, and we spent multiple nights as an Australian team discussing scenarios, and we could have spent several more nights on this topic.

The main thing for me was that yes, there were big favourites like Evenepoel, Del Toro and Seixas; however, it was impossible to predict what tactics they would deploy, how their teams would ride for a leader, and who they would let anticipate the final before they made their own moves. All of this would have been more predictable with Pogačar in the race.

Once again, the same argument could be made that I didn’t watch the race myself, but everyone I have spoken to who watched it from home said it was one of the best World Championships they have seen in recent years.

Brandon McNulty took the biggest win of his life. I am almost certain that wouldn't have happened if Pogačar was there. The relentless attacks during the final two hours, like those of Mathieu van der Poel, would have been neutralised instantly. Mads Pedersen’s constant returns to the main group probably wouldn’t have happened. And how could I forget Michael Matthews' magical silver medal, one that even we as the Australian team didn’t see coming. (Side note: if you want me as your man to ensure your teammate gets second in big races, I’m your guy.)

Yet again, I struggle to see how these storylines would have played out if Pogačar was a minute and a half ahead of everyone else, who would most likely have been solo or with one teammate left, like they were in Rwanda last year.

That being said, it is a shame not to see Pogačar in the rainbow jersey. He is indisputably the best rider on the planet and in other sports would merit being world champion. But this is what is unique about cycling: you have to be in it to win it. And that’s not to say McNulty is not a deserving winner. He has shown his class as a rider and winner over the years. And yes, I say winner, because he has 23 wins to his name. Even my own father said it was nice to see a domestique win, and I swiftly reminded him how many wins the American has, and let's just say his facial expression changed pretty quickly.

Part 3: A new king at Il Lombardia

Saturday's race was pretty much guaranteed to produce a first-time Il Lombardia winner due to Pogačar’s absence. Yet, while it would have been nice to watch Pogačar take a record-breaking sixth victory, I'll be the first to admit it hasn’t been the most entertaining race in the last few years, especially when compared to Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix.

So it's safe to say I was pretty hyped for the 120th edition of the race from Bergamo to Como. Evenepoel came in as the heavy favourite, and Del Toro and Seixas would have been keen to fix their wrongdoings from Worlds only a few weeks prior.

The usual strong break went up the road. UAE controlled the race like they had Pogačar in their lineup, supported by my own team, Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe. A few interesting questions loomed over the race: Would Remco launch a long-range move? Might UAE use the combination of Del Toro and McNulty to outwork the others? What form was Seixas in after skipping the European Championships to focus on this race?

We found out the answer to the latter pretty soon: the teenage sensation showed up some of the best riders in the world. Seixas’ performance was nothing short of breathtaking. From the way he took over the pace on the Civiligo climb and dropped all his competitors one by one, in a similar fashion to what he did at Faun-Ardèche in February, gave glimpses of the usual Pogačar ‘smash fest’ minus the explosive acceleration.

Seixas looked in total control and won by nearly a minute to Mas. This edition of Il Lombardia may have been a real battle between Pogačar and Seixas if the Slovenian started, and we could have had a real showdown on the final climbs, but that's the beauty of hindsight. I still think it was more open and exciting without the five-time winner there. Seixas therefore takes his first Monument and another gigantic step forward in the career of perhaps the most impressive young rider we have ever witnessed after Pogačar himself.

I guess all that has transpired from Spain to Lombardy raises a question. Are people starting to get bored with the Pogačar dominance? There is no doubt we are witnessing greatness, and the majority of us won’t ever witness an athlete like this again in our lifetime. Maybe what is missing is a bit of unpredictability, like what we saw at Il Lombardia and Worlds. If you know enough about bike racing, you could look at the parcours of a race and circle where Pogačar is most likely to attack.

This column isn't me celebrating the horrible accident and subsequent end of Pogačar’s season, but instead offering a different perspective on the dynamics of road racing and how different winners can pump some freshness into the sport. That being said, as a fan of the sport, I am looking forward to Pogačar’s return in 2027.