Tadej Pogacar "is a candidate to win absolutely everything" - Joxean Matxin

UAE Team Emirates are over the moon with their leader. Joxean Matxin who has been part of the team's management for several years and an integral part of Tadej Pogacar's upbringing is very satisfied following the win at the Tour of Flanders and argues that the Slovenian could fight for any race in the calendar.

“He went perfectly as planned. If you had called me after Milano-Sanremo I would not say the same. When he wins and it goes well, it's normal to say yes," Joxean Matxin told AS. "The technical and tactical planning was very important to have one or two riders ahead. There was Trentin, with the peace of mind of being able to stop him at any time. We were missing Tim Wellens, who broke his clavicle when the Bahrain rider fell."

Despite losing Wellens early on in the race, Pogacar was able to throw tactics out of the window and take the victory based on his superiority in the day's climbs. He created the initial split in the peloton where the main favourites stood out, and then launched the decisive solo attack at the Oude Kwaremont en route to what is one of the biggest and most presitigious wins of his career.

“Is this Flanders Tadej's greatest feat? We have to think about what we have left, the present. With this rider, any expectation we have is logical because he is a candidate to win absolutely everything," Matxin believes. "We are optimistic and realistic in the sense that we currently have the best cyclist in the world”

A Grand Tour winner, specialist in one-day races over the mountains and hills, great with descents and rough weather, packing a strong sprint and now being a pristine top candidate for the Flanders classics, Pogacar has virtually filled all the gaps within road cycling. Paris-Roubaix is perhaps the only one where he hasn't proven himself - as he hasn't raced it, naturally - but at the Tour de France last year he gave a taste, attacking and taking time on his rivals in the cobbles of northern France.

His victory and pursuit of all five monuments is present in UAE Team Emirates. "It's an idea. We have to be prudent and go day by day. We can't plan what will happen next year, but we've talked about it, participating in the five monuments. Why not?" he added. "We are missing the main objective of the year, which is the Tour de France. There are also the Ardennes, we have to think about that and not about hypotheses. The planning for this year is perfect and, based on what happens, we will think."