Slovenian cyclist Tadej Pogacar, member of UAE Team Emirates and double winner of the Tour de France, expressed that although 2021 has been his best year that “does not mean that he is better than all the others” in an interview published this Thursday on the specialized portal Cyclingnews.
“It was a long season, but I enjoyed it all. After the Tour de France you have to drag your form, it is difficult, but if you enjoy racing like I do, you can do it.” Pogacar explained that after winning the Gallic round, the Giro de Lombardia and the Liege Bastoña Liège equaled the record of Eddy Merckx and Fausto Coppi.
“There is always some pressure on me, but I manage to turn that into something positive. I put pressure on myself, but I think that’s good., I use it to stay motivated, “said the cyclist, who at 23 already has two titles of the ‘Grande Boucle’ (2020 and 2021) on his record.
Pogacar also gave his opinion on the issue of doping suspicions. before his great performance in the past Tour, considered ‘extraterrestrial’ by some data analysts. “We train a lot, we put aside many things in our lives to be at the highest level and make many sacrifices, so suspicions hurt”, clarified.
The Klanec (Komenda) born rider spoke about what awaits him in the next course, which will be built around the most important cycling race in the world. “It is almost certain that I will return to the Tour and seek victory, but I really do not feel the pressure to win again”, said.
For the next year Pogacar will be able to count on George Bennett, Pascal Ackerman and Marc Soler who will join Brandon McNulty, Rafa Majka, Marc Hirschi, Davide Formolo and Mikkel Bjerg as key riders and the core of the team for the next Tour.
“UAE Team Emirates has not been around that long compared to other great teams, so I think there are a lot of things we can learn and improve on. I’m excited that we have super good drivers, “he said.
“We are on the right track, we have won the Tour de France twice, it shows what we are capable of and I think we are close to being one of the best. The 2021 season has just ended, but I’m already excited about what 2022 will bring, “he concluded.
