"The rivalry with Jonas exists, but there is also a lot of respect" - Tadej Pogacar reflects on historic Tour de France battles with Vingegaard

Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard... it's already a rivalry etched into the annals of cycling history thanks to the four successive fights for the Maillot Jaune at the Tour de France. Beyond the intense rivalry in the French mountains though, their is a deep mutual respect between the two premier Grand Tour riders of their generation.

In a recent interview with Tutto Bici Web, the Slovenian leader of UAE Team Emirates opened up on his and Vingegaard's intertwining stories. "The rivalry with Jonas exists, but there is also a lot of respect," assesses the most recent winner of the Tour de France. "We have been competing in the Tour de France for four years already. There is great competitive spirit and he is a great opponent and will be next year too. He will certainly be one of the riders to watch the most."

After Pogacar took victory at the 2021 Tour de France ahead of second placed Vingegaard, the Danish leader of Visma bounced back strongly in 2022 and 2023, going back to back in France and adding two successive Maillot Jaune victories to his palmares. As mentioned earlier though, this summer, Pogacar regained possession of cycling's most iconic jersey in a dominant display. "This year has been extraordinary. I never imagined I could do better than the previous seasons. If I continue like this, I think I can leave some kind of legacy behind me, but right now I don't think about it," he reflects. "I just want to enjoy the race and have fun on the bike and then I'll see what happens in the future, for now I try to live in the moment."

Having also recently re-signed with UAE Team Emirates on a long term deal, Pogacar is incredibly happy with his current position in the cycling world. First of all, this team believed in me from the beginning. When I was just a kid, fortunately it was the only team ever to come to me and offer me a contract. From that moment on, I immediately felt good with them. I achieved important results and the team is growing. When I come to the United Arab Emirates, I see that we are at the centre of a great project and we have had the ability to have a good impact on the people," Pogacar says. "When we started to ride with people, there were very few people, while two days ago there were more than 2,000. I am proud of all this and I think that we have brought an important contribution to the country, which is also why I decided to sign until 2030."

But what is the secret of Pogacar's success? "I always tell myself that you should never give up and that you should always try to do something without ever stopping. But I also think something else, actually I want to say, that I've always told myself to never give up and to never stop trying and this has brought me far," Pogacar concludes. "But I also think something else, as long as you like cycling and you see it as a game, then you will always do well. When you no longer have fun and you no longer see it as a game then you have to stop."