Tadej Pogacar struggling with popularity at Giro d'Italia: "The selfies sometimes get too much for me"

Despite being an "easy" day on paper at the Giro d'Italia, it was far from that in the peloton. The 179 kilometers on the menu were at times exposed to strong crosswinds and it definitely proved a difficulty for some. Tadej Pogacar escaped the day safely, but he does admit he faces difficulties also outside the bike.

"Everyone is impressed by Jonathan [Milan]. Jonathan is a fantastic sprinter and his team is also very strong and big, they can all fight for their positions," Pogacar told reporters at a press conference following the stage. “Something happens every day. It was completely flat, but then suddenly there was a wind and INEOS tried something. They were trying to screw someone, so you never know. They also have the team for it, I would have done it in their place. Maybe I was in trouble and then I lost a lot of time."

Pogacar is well aware that the Giro can be decided away from the mountains, and that every day can be crucial for the overall classification. Many experienced figures of the Giro have said this over the past weeks; to the debutant who is thus far ruling over the pink jersey. INEOS Grenadiers put on the hurt in the flat roads, but UAE Team Emirates were a strong match.

"With my strong team and the pink jersey it is easier, so I have to thank the team for that. It saves me a lot of stress. About four years ago I would have been a lot more nervous and that would have cost me a lot more energy;" he continues. "That is mainly due to the team and we can cross off another day." At the end of the day, Pogacar arrived safely in the peloton and will ride into the second time-trial of the race in pink.

"I'm looking forward to the time trial and I have more confidence after the previous time trial. Let's hope I have good legs and can get a result. For me it is not the best course, but I still think I can do well," he says of the key GC day. In the previous time-trial, he took a dominant win because of the final ascent. However this time around he will not have that privilege. "I want to ride my pace and finish well, but on Sunday we have the queen stage. I'm looking forward to that too."

Pogacar also talked about the fans who have been constantly swarming him around the team busses, and actually admits something which he is having an issue with: "I am grateful to every fan I have, but also to cycling as a whole. It gets really crazy sometimes, with the smartphones and all, it sometimes gets too much for me. They come to me with a timer for their selfie. A signature is then a bit easier, which is always a pleasure for me," he tells.

"The selfies sometimes get too much for me, but that's also part of the craziness. I'm especially happy that I have a lot of fans, as long as they don't do anything crazy towards us. The Giro is not the Tour, but it is becoming increasingly popular and there are many people on the sidelines. That's nice to see, so far I see it as a great experience."