"It's a big cross that I carry with me" - Tadej Pogacar on the race he wants to win the most in 2025

Tadej Pogacar will not define his definitive calendar for 2025 until December but confirms that he will start the year at the UAE Tour before focusing on the spring classics and would could be a new approach to the Grand Tours.

"I can't reveal too much about the program yet, we will talk about it in December or later. We are quite flexible about it. The UAE Tour is a suitable race to start with," Pogacar shared with RTV SLO. He has over the past few months talked about UAE Tour, Milano-Sanremo, Tour of Flanders and Tour de France, whilst the Vuelta a España has been hinted by several sources. 

"This season's performance in two grand tours worked well, and I believe I will continue with a similar pace for a few more years. I'm especially looking forward to the races I haven't won yet," he admits, giving a prime example: Milano-Sanremo is a big cross that I carry with me. It's a race I really want to win."

Leaving aside his first participation in the first monument of the year in 2020 where Wout van Aert won and in which he could 'only' be 12th, in the last 3 editions he has raced to win, but has not yet been able to achieve it. The lack of steep climbs is the main obstacle, as other classics specialists have thus far been able to follow him up the final climb. But taking into consideration how UAE has been growing and his constant ambition to win it, the team will likely look to make the race harder and harder to fit the World Champion.