Tadej Pogacar is the out-and-out favourite for this Sunday's Amstel Gold Race. Four years ago however, on the Slovenian's only previous trip to the race, Pogacar had suffered the nightmare combination of a dodgy stomach and a bumpy road.
“Yes, I had to stop because of diarrhoea. It was really impossible to do," The UAE Team Emirates leader recalls sheepishly in a conversation with Wielerflits. “All day long I didn't feel well and I had problems with my stomach. That turned into diarrhoea. I had to stop at the roadside. So that's how my race ended that day. Although I then watched the last kilometres past the finish in the team bus."
Back in 2019, it was Mathieu van der Poel who emerged victorious at the Amstel Gold Race after what was legitimately one of the greatest individual rides ever seen. "Unbelievable what Mathieu van der Poel did that day. I think this is still the best cycling moment I've seen on television," reminisces the 24-year-old. Thankfully for Pogacar's hopes of victory this year, the Alpecin-Deceuninck star will be absent this year, still recovering from his Paris-Roubaix recent win.
“It's a big race. It is important that we start with a strong team. And yes, our goal is to win this race," Pogacar declares. "But that's not going to be easy. I expect a tough race. The hunger is still there. I did some good training in Monaco and feel that the form is not gone yet.”
“I am looking forward to the Amstel Gold Race and really looking forward to it. It will not be easy to win this match, but we start with ambitions. In any case, I want to keep the focus up to and including Liège-Bastogne-Liège," he continues. "I think there is a good balance in my program that keeps me mentally fresh. But also eager to ride to a good result. I now also know that I will have a period in which I can rest for a while after and then build up again towards the Tour de France."
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