On September 29, 2024, Tadej Pogačar attacks 101 kilometers before the finish in Zurich. He caught up with the leading group, rode on alone and won the Road World Championships by 34 seconds ahead of Ben O’Connor. It is his third major victory of the season — after the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France. The Triple Crown, for the third time in the history of cycling.
The season
In May, Pogačar dominates the Giro from start to finish. In July, he wins the Tour with a superiority reminiscent of Merckx. In September, he crowns the season with a solo in Zurich that goes down in the annals — not 10 kilometers before the finish, not 30, but 101.
Then came Liège–Bastogne–Liège and the Tour of Lombardy. Five of the biggest races of the year, all in the same season — no one has ever done that before.
What this means for Pissei
Two years ago, Pissei was sewing jerseys for amateur clubs. Now the brand name is on the chest of the best rider in the world, in the most important moments of the season. The Giro in pink, the Tour in yellow, the World Championships in rainbow — all with Pissei under the skin.
For a factory with 46 employees in Pistoia, this is a dimension that no business plan has provided for. The visibility that a Triple Crown brings cannot be bought with money.
Assessment
Eddy Merckx wore Molteni. Stephen Roche wore Carrera. Tadej Pogačar wears Pissei. The clothing brands associated with a Triple Crown can be counted on three fingers. Pissei is now on that list — a Tuscan workshop alongside the biggest names in cycling history.