Ahead of Liege-Bastogne-Liege this weekend, Tadej Pogacar has been training hard in the sun. According to the Slovenian's UAE Team Emirates teammate, Tim Wellens, we can expect to see Pogacar at his very best.
"I think it will be a great battle," previews Wellens, who won't be alongside Pogacar in Liege and instead will be watching from home and preparing himself for the Criterium du Dauphine and the Tour de France later this summer, in conversation with In de Leiderstrui. "Moreover, I think Tadej will be very good. He is optimally preparing in the Sierra Nevada. At first he had some bad weather, including snow. Now that has completely changed and the circumstances are good for him. So I think he will be very good in Liège."
For Wellens himself, it's now a period of extended after a busy Classics spring. "I'm glad that the Brabantse Pijl was the last race. Maybe I haven't had that many racing days, but the classics certainly weigh a lot. They take a lot of beating, both physically and mentally," he explains.
Included in his racing calendar this year was a Paris-Roubaix debut. An eye-opening experience for the experienced Belgian. "Especially because I was at the front," he laughs. "If you are at the front in such a tough race, it is of course extra fun."