Tadej Pogacar: "I don't think I'm the best cyclist, I just give my best"

The Slovenian cyclist Tadej Pogacar, a member of the UAE Team Emirates and a double winner of the Tour de France, expressed that although 2021 has been his best year, that "does not mean that it is better than all the others", in an interview published this Thursday on the portal specialized Cyclingnews.

"It was a long season, but I enjoyed it all. After the Tour de France you have to drag your form, it's difficult, but if you enjoy the races like me you can do it", explained Pogacar, who after winning the French round, the Giro de Lombardia and Liege Bastogne Liege equaled the record held by Eddy Merckx and Fausto Coppi.

"There is always some pressure on me, but I manage to turn that into something positive. I put pressure on myself, but I think that's good, I use it to keep myself motivated," said the 23-year-old cyclist, who already has in his winners with two titles of the 'Grande Boucle' (2020 and 2021).

Pogacar also gave his opinion on the subject of doping suspicions due to his great performance in the last Tour, considered 'extraterrestrial' by some data analysts. "We train a lot, we put aside a lot of things in our lives to be at the highest level and make a lot of sacrifices, so the suspicions hurt," he clarified.

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The runner born in Klanec (Komenda) spoke about what awaits him in the next course, which will be built around the most important cycling race in the world. "It's almost certain that I'll go back to the Tour and go for the win, but I don't really feel the pressure to win again," he said.

For the following year Pogacar will be able to count on George Bennett, Pascal Ackerman and Marc Soler who will join Brandon McNulty, Rafa Majka, Marc Hirschi, Davide Formolo and Mikkel Bjerg as key riders and the core of the team for the next Tour.

"UAE Team Emirates hasn't been around that long compared to other big teams, so I think there are a lot of things we can learn and improve. I'm excited that we have super good drivers," he said.

"We are on the right track, we have won the Tour de France twice, it shows what we are capable of and I think we are close to being one of the best. The 2021 season has just ended, but I am already excited about what 2022 will bring." , he concluded.