'They shouldn’t be scared of me' - Tadej Pogacar gives insight into how he can be challenged by Tour de France rivals
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ByEurosport
Published 10/11/2021 at 21:10 GMT
"They shouldn’t be scared of me, for sure. That's the first thing, because I can crack really fast, actually," Tadej Pogacar said on Geraint Thomas’ Cycling Club podcast. "I do a good power on the not-so-long climbs, but sometimes the longer climbs are worse for me, and the high altitude - I think that’s what they already figured out."
Slovenian Tadej Pogacar of UAE Team Emirates wins the sprint ahead of Italian Fausto Masnada of Deceuninck - Quick-Step in the Giro di Lombardia one day cycling race, 239km from Como to Bergamo, Saturday 09 October 2021 in Bergamo, Italy.
Image credit: Getty Images
Tadej Pogacar has provided an insight into how his rivals can challenge him at the 2022 Tour de France.
The Slovenian has won the past two editions of the grand tour, with this year’s victory coming in totally dominant fashion.
Pogacar won three stages - an individual time trial and two mountain stages - and secured overall victory by five minutes and 20 seconds.
He will head back to the Tour next year as the overwhelming favourite to make it a hat-trick of wins, with many suggesting he has few weaknesses.
UAE Team Emirates has strengthened the support cast for Pogacar for 2022 - meaning it will be harder to expose him - but the 23-year-old has opened up on how he could be challenged.
"They shouldn’t be scared of me, for sure," Pogacar said on Geraint Thomas’ Cycling Club podcast. "That's the first thing, because I can crack really fast, actually.
"I do a good power on the not so long climbs, but sometimes the longer climbs are worse for me, and the high altitude - I think that’s what they already figured out.
"For sure, if It happens that I have a not-so-strong team, with long range attacks, that makes it for us more difficult. And trying to go aggressive from the long way, with multiple riders, like Ineos has a lot of leaders, so they can try a lot of things, in a different way. I think there can be a lot of things that can crack me, or anybody else. It’s not that complicated."
Thomas acknowledged that Pogacar's dominance over the last two years has given himself and Ineos Grenadiers plenty to think about.
"When you see someone as strong as that, a lot of teams are probably thinking: 'How do we beat this guy?' For myself and my team, you've got to stay positive and believe you can still win, otherwise what’s the point?
"It’s certainly a challenge for the rest of us. You've definitely got to look at different ways of racing. There’s no point us riding like we did in the teams and just set a tempo on the front, because that’s just going work for him. it’s certainly exciting to watch."
The 2022 iteration of the Tour de France departs from Copenhagen in Denmark on July 1.
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