"I knew then that I had good legs and that this could be a day for me" - Tadej Pogacar explains in detail how he felt and planned his Flanders victory

Tadej Pogacar is only 24-years old but is already a legend of the sport. Yesterday he became one of the very few riders in cycling history to win both the Tour of Flanders and the Tour of Flanders, and has also conquered his third monument out of five - putting him closer to be the first rider in decades to win all five monuments. He's talked extensively on his victory in a recent interview.

“Yes, that was a bit difficult. I don't have a lot of experience in these kinds of races yet, so I find it difficult to estimate how big the gaps are and what that means," Pogacar revealed in an interview with Wielerflits. After a large group attacked with 100 kilometers to go the victory was at risk for the main contenders who saw the gap grow to almost two minutes. Hoever the Slovenian was not worried at the time. "Because we had Matteo Trentin in that first group, I was not stressed at any point. It was the plan to anticipate with him, so that was a good situation.”

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The tactics of UAE worked perfectly despite the absence of Tim Wellens who crashed out early in the day. His move to make was on the Oude Kwaremont, a climb he had hinted to enjoy, the longest of the race. “The leadout I got there from Mikkel Bjerg was probably the best leadout I ever got. I was really surprised by that," he shared, the second time going up it. "As a result, I was able to make the race very hard on the Oude Kwaremont. We really sprinted up there. That was also the moment when I could be more relaxed. I knew then that I had good legs and that this could be a day for me."

There he got a gap over all the competition. He was later caught, but collaborated with his rivals to come closer to the escapee group which still held an advantage. "I just felt really good. After I went out with Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert a little later, I looked at them. They still looked good, but every kilometer counts in this race. Fortunately, I was the rider with the strongest legs in the end," Pogacar continued.

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The rest was history. After a couple of stinging attacks and high pace he and Mathieu van der Poel reached the head of the race, and the last time up the Oude Kwaremont he made the winning difference. “I think I'm in the same shape as two weeks ago. Today is just a totally different race. Milano-Sanremo is a perfect race for Mathieu. That's a six minute effort. That descent also plays to his advantage, his skills in that area are much better than mine."

But in Flandres the tables were turned, and the climbing-friendly course saw Pogacar taking off after several attempts. "Today is another race that suits me better than Milan-San Remo. Mathieu was also very good today. Until the last kilometers he kept a chance to win.”

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What makes Flanders such an attractive race for Pogacar? “I find that difficult to say," he replies. "It's just a really special race. It is probably the best and largest one-day race in the world. The course is very interesting and the atmosphere on the climbs is really incredible. In addition, the best riders in the world are always here.”

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