Tadej Pogacar is one of the most versatile riders in the peloton and a master of all swords. Perhaps the race that would be most difficult for him to target would be Paris-Roubaix, however that possibility does exist for the future UAE Team Emirates admit.
“Tadej will be back at Flanders. I am sure it will be a good classics season like the past year. Last year he performed super good at Flanders, and it was a good experience for him,” team DS Fabio Baldato told Velonews. “This year he comes back knowing what’s ahead of him. He knows the roads and he knows what to expect.”
Pogacar will be aiming at a win in the Tour des Flandres this spring - aswell as many others - following the achievement of last year, where he raced to fourth after spending creating the crucial differences and riding to the final kilometer alongside Mathieu van der Poel. “We love it because when he comes to the race, he wants to win and we support him, and we wait for the victory."
"He also likes Paris-Roubaix, and we saw how well he raced on the cobbles last year at the Tour, but that’s too much. He can do everything, but we have to make some choices," Baldato explains. In the future chances are high that the Slovenian will ride the cobbles, specially after thriving at the Tour de France's 'Roubaix' stage, but there are too many goals around for the time being.
“We have seen riders who can win Amstel Gold Race and Liège and win the Tour. With two peaks, it’s possible to prepare for the classics, and then recover, and then have a big chance at the Tour. We saw last year that he likes the classics. We are excited to go back there with him," Baldato continues, on what they expected from the classics.
UAE Tour, Strade Bianche, Tirreno-Adriatico and Milano-Sanremo are all races on Pogacar's schedule in which he can take big victories. He'll start his campaign at the Clasica Jaen Paraiso Interior in the coming weeks before aiming higher.
“All the races are risky. Even here at the Saudi Tour there are winds and there can be echelons. If you think that, you should stay at the altitude camp and only race the Tour de France. You need to go to the races, be focused and fully prepared, and the risk is the same for everyone.”
“Of course, Tadej wants to win the Tour again. We made an analysis of what happened last year in the Tour, what might have been a mistake, and what we can do better in the Tour. Tadej wants to win all the races, not just the Tour," Baldato concluded.
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