"It's no secret that Remco Evenepoel is in super good shape" - Tadej Pogacar praises rival ahead of Liege-Bastogne-Liege showdown

As is the case whenever he takes to the startline, all eyes will be on Tadej Pogacar this Sunday as the Slovenian look to secure a third win at Liege-Bastogne-Liege in the last five years. After a dominant win last time out at La Fleche Wallonne, the world champion is understandably full of confidence.

When asked if he's recovered from the incredible attack up the final Mur de Huy last Wednesday, Pogacar responds positively. "Yeah, I think so!" the UAE Team Emirates - XRG leader smiles in conversation with Cycling Pro Net in a pre-Liege-Bastogne-Liege interview. "I've had three days of riding around. I did the recon yesterday and yeah, I think I feel good for tomorrow now!"

As mentioned, Pogacar has twice taken the win in Liege and currently stands at an incredible eight Monument wins in total. The last time he started one of cycling's biggest one-day races and didn't finish on the podium however, was at the 2023 edition of Liege-Bastogne-Liege, when he crashed out hard, something that eventually scuppered his hopes of winning the Tour de France that year also.

But what can we expect of the Rainbow Jersey this year? "It will be more or less like always. It's a big Monument. A long race, a hard race and so yeah, it will all depend on the legs. We'll see but we hope for great legs from all seven riders in the team, then we can make a nice race for us," he previews.

And potential rivals? "It's no secret that Remco Evenepoel is in super good shape. But Lidl-Trek has also potentially two guys that can go for the victory, I think. And then there's always somebody else that has a good shape on the day, so we will see," Pogacar concludes. "I think a lot of guys will try to fight for the victory, but we also will."