"He is always the leader" - Joxean Matxín and UAE confident that Pogacar is the man to beat at Strade Bianche

UAE Team Emirates head into Strade Bianche with a very strong team led by Tadej Pogacar. Despite the presence of in-form Tim Wellens and Isaac Del Toro, the Slovenian is according to Joxean Matxín the undisputed leader even on his first race day of the season.

“Tadej is our leader on Saturday. He is always the leader. He is number one in the world ranking. It's true, he hasn't raced yet, but Tadej is a special one: he starts in the Strade to win,” the manager of UAE told Het Laatste Nieuws. “Everything went according to plan. We think Tadej is slightly better than last season.”

A Pogacar stronger than 2023 is hard to imagine, but it is the case according to the team. In 2022 he took a strong and convincing win on these roads, and enters this edition as the man to beat. Tom Pidcock and Matej Mohoric are among his main rivals, but UAE have Tim Wellens who should also be in contention for victory even in the eventuality that the Slovenian fails.

“Actually, this is not the time of year to compare, but his numbers are a little better than a year ago. He really reached a high level in training," he says. Still, despite this, the focus remains in the Giro-Tour double, which he was asked about. “I really believe in the combination, but it requires preparation and sacrifice," Matxín concluded.