"Then we will be able to beat Pogacar" - Tiesj Benoot on Visma's plan to beat World Champion at the Tour de France

At Team Visma | Lease a Bike's media day we've learnt a lot about the team's main plans for the season and virtually it's possible to confirm almost the entire Dutch team's lineup for the Tour de France. Tiesj Benoot, an incredibly versatile, experienced and valuable member of the team will be there and talks about his schedule alongside how to beat Tadej Pogacar.

Early in the year, Benoot will be staying very busy, and in fact will be rooming up with Wout van Aert for quite a long time. Alongside his teammate he makes his season debut at the Clásica Jaen Paraiso Interior, then races the Volta ao Algarve, and then takes part in both races of the 'Opening Weekend'.

"After that, I will go on a three-week altitude training camp. Then it is time for the Flemish classics again, including the E3 Saxo Classic and the Tour of Flanders". He will also race Dwars door Vlaanderen with the Belgian, but will have one exception as the 30-year old also says he should race Gent Wevelgem. "Then the Ardennes classics are on the program," he shared with Wielerflits.

He was third at Amstel Gold Race last year, 9th at Flèche Wallonne and 12th in Liège so it's safe to say this is a calendar that isn't too much for him. "I don't think it is necessary to be the absolute leader in those classics. In recent years, we haven't had the team to control or take control of the race. In that sense, the status of leader is not necessary. But I have achieved some good results in recent seasons, and I hope to do that again this year."

Then Benoot should prepare for the Tour de France, taking on an altitude camp and the Tour de Suisse beforehand. At the Tour he should join Jonas Vingegaard, Wout van Aert, Simon Yates, Matteo Jorgenson, Sepp Kuss, Victor Campenaerts and Christophe Laporte.

The goal is quite simple, take the overall win. But for this to happen they have to beat Tadej Pogacar. "We are focusing on ourselves. We will do everything we can to be in the best possible position at the start, and then we will see what the day brings. Fortunately, a lot can happen in cycling".

"How do we beat him as a collective? We are working on that. We are making plans. But indeed, the better the individual, the harder it is to beat as a team. We just have to start being the best version of ourselves and be completely in order.” Having an incredibly strong team is the first step, and with no doubt Visma are bringing all the heat they can to battle UAE Team Emirates - XRG. In the end it will come down to Vingegaard's form, in regular circumstance, but Benoot can be part of a complex puzzle to take down the Slovenian.

“Then we will be able to beat Pogacar, like we were able to do last year. Last year we were able to provide a battle for two weeks in the Tour de France. And that while Pogacar ultimately turned out to be by far the best".