Tadej Pogacar ahead of Tour title defense: "If there's no pressure, I will not perform"

Tadej Pogacar is fixing up the final details on his preparation ahead of the Tour de France, and he has talked about how the race can be unpredictable and how he is guided by the pressure that comes along with the favoritism he takes to races.

"Everyone's expectations are growing about me and also I expect myself to move on at the same pace. But at one point, probably it'll stop and I need to be prepared for that," Pogacar said in an interview with Cyclingnews. The Slovenian is only 23 years of age but is a two-time Tour de France champion and arguably one of the best stage-racers - and rider as a whole - in the peloton.

He is the main favourite to win the Tour once again, but he aknowledges that the race is very unpredictable. "Things can go wrong, but there's nothing wrong with that, that's just life. You do the things you do at 100 per cent. But some things you cannot change, there's nothing you can do. Sometimes you need to accept that something can go wrong," he said.

Sure enough over the last two editions he's managed to avoid massive hits, however everytime a rider is in the peloton the risks are at all times high. He will also have fierce competition and be, more than ever, the man to beat in a Grand Tour. "You get more confidence, the team has more confidence, but everybody believes in your chances too which creates more pressure," he pointed out. "And a lot of riders start to race against us. So it's getting harder and harder every year, but I don't mind this. It's a challenge, because I like to prove myself also."

But he finds confidence aswell in the pressure that is put on his shoulders. "Yes, sure, for sure every year there's more pressure, it's getting higher and higher, but you can use the pressure to motivate yourself. If there's no pressure, I will not perform. But it's not a bad thing and it's not like I feel 'if you don't win, you're fired'. It's not that kind of pressure - just something normal."

UAE Team Emirates are yet to confirm the lineup into the Tour de France, specially as Marc Hirschi and Mikkel Bjerg - who were scheduled to be in the race - tested positive for Covid-19, launching question marks over their form and preparation for the race.