Tadej Pogacar: "I feel for sure I’ve learned a lot" at Dwars door Vlaanderen

Tadej Pogacar will be riding the Tour des Flandres this spring and has came to Dwars door Vlaanderen to get a feel for the cobbles before the main target. Although having missed the main move, he showed himself very active and with great form, and is displaying very good signs for Sunday's race.

“It was a really good experience. At a key moment there was a crash and I got caught behind. I missed the front group and tried to come back with an effort but they were too strong. I tried many times and in the end to get back to the front but that’s racing," Pogacar said in a post-race interview.

Although he was active, he was out of position when the race's crucial early attack went up the road with 70 kilometers to go. Although on the following climb, the Kanarieberg, he seemed to be close to bridging across, it was a task too hard for an individual rider. He was part of some chasing groups as the race split behind, and ended the race in 10th place.

"It was a good race. I should have been closer to the front when the move went but I feel for sure I’ve learned a lot. In the first hour there were big fights for the original breakaway so I got the feeling of how hectic these races can be on the narrow roads. I’m excited for Sunday," he concluded.

With today's performance it definitely appears that the Slovenian is ready for the Tour des Flandres. Although it is a race that requires know-how, Biniam Girmay's recent win at Gent-Wevelgem in what was one of his first race days in Flandres showed that form and power is the most crucial factor.