For the third straight year, Tadej Pogacar triumphed at Il Lombardia in 2023. Although you may not have seen it at the time however, the Slovenian's victory this year was helped massively by something as simple as a drink.
"I was a bit panicky. I thought I would be able to make the descent with a gap, but climbing with a cramp would be impossible," recalls the UAE Team Emirates leader to Matt Stephens on the Sigma Sports Cafe Ride video series. "The first support vehicle had a flat tire and I didn't know if the second one was there yet. I asked for help on the radio, but I thought there was no one to help me."
Battling the likes of Primoz Roglic, Andrea Bagioli, Aleksandr Vlasov and the Yates' brothers among others is a tricky proposal at the best of times. To do so whilst also battling cramp however, would be nearly impossible. Thankfully for Pogacar, his team car did arrive and with the perfect remedy as well.
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"Luckily the second car was there and they gave me a mixed drink of cucumber juice, salt and vinegar. That really helps," he explains. "Electrolytes and salt work and I was a bit sick, so I had a runny nose. Then you lose more fluid and there you get cramps because of dehydration. Normally I don't get cramps, only during foot massages."
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