01/01/2023

Tadej Pogacar: "I sincerely believe that in 2023 I can improve on what we saw in 2022"

Tadej Pogacar will be having similar goals for 2023 when comparing to this year, but he is hoping for stronger results. Amongst his goals will be the Tour de Flandres and the Tour de France, which he hopes to win this coming season.

"I sincerely believe that in 2023 I can improve on what we saw in 2022. I'm happy with the way things went, you can't always win," Pogacar said in an interview with Marca. "The most important thing is to be happy with the way you raced. I made mistakes, I know, but I think that by removing some details, with the help of the team and a great motivation, while remaining faithful to my way of racing, the results will be there."

Jonas Vingegaard shrugs doping doubts - "I'm never going to screw things up"

Although he didn't succeed in these two, in terms of pure victories the Slovenian's season was still very luxurious. UAE Tour, Strade Bianche, Tirreno-Adriatico, Tour of Slovenia, Tre Valli Varesine and Il Lombardia were all added to his palmarès, aswell as many victories within the stage-races.

The Tour de Flandres however was his biggest disappointment, racing to the line with Mathieu van der Poel, but losing his place on the podium due to a standstill before the sprint. "It's a race that I really like and that I want to win, but it's not easy at all. The route is very interesting, it's more than six hours on the bike and with the warmth of the Belgian fans it's a spectacle. I would love to win it one day," Pogacar says. He will be aiming towards the Belgian monument with a great deal of attention these coming months.

List of most prominent riders who head into 2023 without pro contract

Asked by the Spanish newspaper if he was planning on racing the Vuelta a Espana, a race that he was set to take part in this year according to his initial plans, Pogacar answered: "I cannot 100% confirm my presence but I would be happy if it happened."

"In recent years it has been in my plans, but for various reasons, I ended up not taking part," he explained, having focused on the Tour de France, World Championships and Il Lombardia. In his Grand Tour debut at the Vuelta he finished third and won three stages, and has since kept similar or better record in all Grand Tours he's taken part in.