Can Tadej Pogacar's 2024 plans come in the way of Strade Bianche win? "I have two Grand Tours to think about"

Tadej Pogacar starts his season this Saturday at Strade Bianche. The race he won in 2022, we know that he is well suited to the Italian classic, and he aims to win big this spring in the few races he takes part in, despite having big goals for later in the year.

“It's a different approach this year. I start a little later than usual, but not too late either. It has still been quite busy with preparations and explorations. I have two Grand Tours to think about, so I have plenty to do," Pogacar told Eurosport.

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This weekend marks the start of his spring campaign which will also include Milano-Sanremo and the Volta a Catalunya. He did not race over the months of January and February so as to arrive at the Grand Tours with few race days, and focus on his base training.

“Normally, I like to do some races beforehand, but if you simulate a certain race during training, you can be very well prepared at the start of your first race," he tells. Teammate Tim Wellens admitted that in training, despite his current strong performances, he could not drop the Slovenian who looked comfortable. Perhaps the biggest sign of form for Pogacar ahead of the season.

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In a race that will be almost an hour longer this year, Pogacar will still have to face tough competition though from riders who are carrying great form, or in the case of others such as Matej Mohoric and Tom Pidcock, who are specialists up and downhill in the gravel sections.

The Slovenian was also asked about Mathieu van der Poel, with whom he trained with during the winter: "We are indeed good friends. We recently met by chance during a training ride in Spain, after which we rode together for a few hours. It was a nice training. It's a shame that Mathieu then had to ride a cyclocross, which meant we couldn't train more often, but that will come in the future.”

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