"I’m lucky to have had close to the perfect preparation" - Tadej Pogacar fully ready for Tour de France

Tadej Pogacar has raced and dominated the Criterium du Dauphiné and that was enough, after a spring without almost a single stage-race, to confirm that he was in the right form to fight for the Tour de France. Today UAE Team Emirates - XRG confirmed their lineup and this is what he had to say.

“I’m excited for the Tour to start. I’m lucky to have had close to the perfect preparation this year — everything has gone really smoothly, especially coming off a great altitude camp with my teammates," Pogacar said in a press release. "The vibes in the team are amazing right now, and that gives me a lot of confidence".

“Of course, you can never be fully prepared for something like the Tour de France — it’s unpredictable, and that’s part of what makes it so special". The first week of racing will present various flat and explosive hilly stages which can come as a big challenge for the GC riders when it comes to positioning and avoiding crashes.

This is something all GC riders will have to face and although Pogacar is rather good at avoiding crashes, at times it happens in ways that can't be prevented. However if the Slovenian manages to escape unscathed, it will be very hard to beat him later in the race.

“I’m expecting a very high level from all the other top riders. The first few days should be really exciting for the fans with some open, aggressive stages, and the last week is very climbing-heavy with some iconic stages. It’s going to be a big fight all the way to Paris, but I’m ready to give everything. It’s hard to believe it’s already my sixth Tour de France, time flies," he concluded. The Tour starts on the 5th of July, already within just about a week's time.