01/02/2024

Tadej Pogacar "will do even better than last year", UAE Team Emirates' Matxin believes

After several years taking world-class wins and preparing for specific goals, Tadej Pogacar opens up to a new challenge in 2024. He races two Grand Tours, this means a debut at the Giro d'Italia and combining it with the Tour de France.

"He will do even better than last year, I am convinced. He is our unique leader for all his merits. We know that he is an absolute guarantee for the Tour, even if this year he will also do the Giro," Joxean Matxín shared with AS. "He won't race so much before going to Italy and he will arrive at the Tour with 31 days of competition. If there was ever a year to test him, it was this year. I think the rivals are more important than the route."

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The Slovenian's schedule has been planned in total detail. For the time being there is no plan of him racing outside the World Tour; he will start his season at Strade Bianche, then race Milano-Sanremo and the Volta a Catalunya. Before the Giro d'Italia he will still race Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and after the Corsa Rosa there should be no racing before the Tour.

Despite his plan to race the Giro, he was always in the plans to race the Tour. "I reveal the block in advance because it's clear to me. It will allow us an important tactical variable in the races. The only doubts will arise about possible changes due to crashes or illness. It's also good for them – they know in advance the altitude blocks... We have to speak clearly with the riders and tell them what is expected of each of them."

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Despite having a very modest lineup at the Tour Down Under, focusing on it's new signings, the team has already hit headlines over the opening weeks of the season. "This year we started a little calmer than last because the idea was not to start at full throttle."

"At the Tour Down Under, we had Jay Vine, but the surprise of Isaac del Toro arose. The idea is to have a block for each race and two leaders, in many cases up to three," he concludes, as the team pursues another victory in the UCI rankings.