There is very little time left for the Tour de France 2024 to start. The 111th edition of the great race of the season promises to fly high with a spectacular poster. One of the protagonists of the edition will be, as it could not be otherwise, Tadej Pogacar. The Slovenian is the Tour’s hot favourite and comes into the prestigious race after winning the Giro d’Italia.
In an interview organized by his team (UAE Team Emirates), the cyclist was very optimistic about the Tour. Despite the importance of what is to come, his victory at the Giro is still top of mind: “Winning the Giro d’Italia was an incredible experience, one I will always remember. It meant a lot to me because it was my first time at the Giro. Winning like we did is one of my biggest victories ever.”
Regarding his state of form, Pogacar does not hold back and believes he is in the best moment he can remember: “I really want the tour to start, I think it will be a special start for me because I won the Giro and the Tour starts in Italy, so I think it will be amazing! It feels like I’ve taken a step forward since the Giro and my form is even better than I expected. I have trained well, I have tested my legs a bit“To be honest, I’ve never felt so good on a bike before,” The Slovenian explains.
“It will be a very competitive tour”
You will face a long list of competitors. The Tour lineup is unbeatable and will feature fierce competition. The big favorites, along with Pogacar, are Primoz Roglic, Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel. The UAE Team Emirates banner analyzes its rivals: “I think Wingard will be ready And if he is mentally strong and has recovered well, then certainly I think we should be prepared to see him at his best. We saw how well Evenepoel and Roglič performed in the Dauphine, Maybe it was too early to fly 100% with Remco, but Primoz was in very good condition. I think everyone on the tour will be at maximum level. I think it will be a tour Very competitive, but you never know how your opponents will perform.”
“Compete at the Vuelta? It’s not on my mind…”
The schedule is busy, but Pogacar has shown throughout his career that he is no less than a challenger. When asked if he has any thoughts about competing in the Vuelta, the Slovenian was skeptical: “I can assure you there is no thought of competing in the Giro-Tour-Vuelta this year.. Winning the Vuelta is a big goal for me, but It would be crazy to do that in a single year.It is also an Olympic year and the World Championships are also held. We’ll see, though…”, Completion of the komenda.