Tadej Pogacar is undeniably one of the brightest talents in modern pro cycling, and his quality on the bike saw him, virtually on his debut at high-level cobbled classics, to immediately be very close to a win at the Tour des Flandres. In 2023, he will attempt this difficult feat.
“There’s a desire to make up for my fourth place this year at the Tour of Flanders," Pogacar said in a recent interview with Gazzetta dello Sport. His debut in a World Tour cobbled classic was this year's Dwars door Vlaanderen where he rode to 10th place, however just days after he was on the verge of winning Flandres, in his second cobbled race day at top level.
The Slovenian attacked in the Koppenberg to create a very meaningful selection, and was a constant threat throughout the final ascents where only Mathieu van der Poel managed to keep up with the pace. Not having worked together perfectly, the duo was caught in sight of the line by Dylan van Baarle and Valentin Madouas, who filled up the remaining podium seats, whilst Pogacar settled for fourth place.
"I was boxed in, but that’s cycling. Sometimes you’re boxed in and sometimes you have open road. All in all, it was a great experience. It was a really amazing race," he detailed. Alongside Milano-Sanremo and Strade Bianche, those are sure to be some of his goals for the 2023 spring.
Pogacar has confirmed that he'll be targeting the Tour de France and that the Giro d'Italia will not be an option, leaving his schedule wide open for the spring where he is set to chase further success. The team has signed Tim Wellens who could be an important support asset in the cobblestones.
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