Tadej Pogacar aims to win the Tour of Flanders, a Classic that he does not yet have on his record.
Tadej Pogacar, who feels “fort», will have to «choose the best time to attackif he wants to win the Tour of Flanders on Sunday, he said at a press conference on Friday in Waregem.
Considering the sprint speed of the other two big contenders for victory, Belgian Wout Van Aert and Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel, the Slovenian thinks he will have “no doubt interest in taking the lead“, even if he assures “not having a pre-established tactic».
«To win, you will probably have to be the strongest on the hills“Explained the young rider (24 years old) who already has two of the five Cycling Monuments to his name, the Tour of Lombardy (2021 and 2022) and Liège-Bastogne-Liège (2021).
«The Old Quaremont (2,200 m at 4% average at 17 km from the line) pleases me more than the Paterberg (360 m at 13% at 13 km) which is too short for me“, said the double winner of the Tour de France.
«There is no single plan as a lot can happen in a day of over six hours on such a tricky course. How I run will depend on how the race goes and my legs“, he explained, believing that it would be “a mistake to focus only on Van Aert and Van der Poeleven if he never won a one-day race when he had to face these two adversaries simultaneously.
«I feel strong. And I probably have a chance to win if it’s a good day“, Estimated the leader of the UAE team who trained in Monaco during the week “alternating long, difficult outings and more relaxed days to enjoy a little anyway”.
If successful on Sunday, the Slovenian would imitate Frenchman Louison Bobet and Belgian Eddy Merckx, the only two to have won both the Tour de France and the Ronde.
«I don’t know the whole history of cycling but being able to join these two legends is of course a motivation. And this race is so special with this incredible atmosphere, this crowd, this extraordinary course“, he concluded.