Tim Wellens praises teammate Pogacar - "You see his approach as a truth, because everything he does is good"

Tim Wellens showed incredible form at the Criterium du Dauphiné where he helped Tadej Pogacar to overall victory and at the national championships he put this form into good use to conquer the title ahead of Remco Evenepoel. The Belgian explained his approach to the race, his best form ever and how the World Champion has helped him reach it.

“I did not see the national championships as an ideal preparation for the Tour. An extra day of travel is never great. That is why I told the team that I would not come to Binche," Wellens shared with Wielerflits. “Only when I saw that the team had sent team DS Fabio Baldato, a mechanic and a soigneur to Belgium for this championship did I change my mind on Wednesday evening. ‘Guys, I’m coming,’ I said, after which I booked a flight to Belgium and arrived quite late. Maybe that also helped me to be relaxed at the start".

Wellens put in a masterful ride to anticipate the competition and take the victory in Binche with a long solo attack. Perhaps it will be hard to recover from it, but he will be heading to Lille next weekend with a special jersey on his back, and it will actually be the first time in his career that he will do so with a road title.

“Yesterday (Saturday, ed.) I had a long phone call with Victor Campenaerts about how I would approach it. I actually spoke to quite a few riders to make a plan on how we could turn the Belgian Championship in our direction. Forging alliances is never a bad thing. But you need good legs to benefit from that," he explains. Ultimately it payed off, even if the attack was done by himself. At age 34, Wellens - a proven winner for over a decade now - feels stronger than ever.

“I have never been so sharp, I have never ridden so fast uphill. That gives me a lot of confidence and it is nice to get that confirmation. But I saw during the training camp that everyone in the team is in great shape. Racing at UAE Emirates XRG is also completely different," he admits.

"I used to have more chances of my own. But it’s not fun to ride under pressure, when you don’t always have the legs to finish it off. That wasn’t a fun period. But then I got the chance at UAE, and I’m very happy that I’m now in a situation where I can help the rest. If that’s in the best team in the world with the best rider, that’s of course even more fun.”

The mix of moments of leadership and moments of supporting teammates creates the ideal environment for Wellens who is on a roll and will be a very important member of UAE for the Tour de France - specially taking into consideration it's hilly first week.

“I sometimes learn that I used to be a bit too focused, maybe even too professional. It’s more about finding balance and equilibrium. Sometimes it’s better to be 95% focused on your sport than 100% and not be able to keep it up for long. Tadej is a very intelligent person mentally. And because he’s the best rider in the world, everyone listens to him," Wellens adds. "You see his approach as a truth, because everything he does is good.”

"Tadej will definitely be fine, but he is not the only one who is good. I am looking forward to it, but also a little scared, because I know that the first days are often very hectic. Fortunately, we are a team that rides a lot at the front, hopefully we can stay out of danger that way," he concluded.