Slovenian cycling star Tadej Pogacar revealed at the Trento Sports Festival that when he was young, cycling did not interest him: “I thought about doing the Giro-Tour-Vuelta, but there were also the Olympic Games and my body needed rest”, he recalled.
He explained that he does not like to compare himself to the cycling greats, preferring to follow his own path and live in the moment: “I don’t know much about the history of the time, because I wasn’t even born. I prefer to focus on the present.”
Pogacar admitted that he never had an idol in cycling. “When I was in Slovenia, I used to watch the Tour. Then I started to fall in love with the sport, but I never had an idol. Maybe that’s why I race differently.”
Speaking about the challenge of attempting the Giro-Tour-Vuelta trio, Pogacar explained that he prefers to focus on the World Cup and the Olympic Games, since doing all the races would be physically impossible. “This year my goal was the rainbow jersey, and the decisions were right.”
Despite the difficulties of the Giro, Pogacar felt prepared for the Tour and isolated himself to ensure the best form. He also confessed that there were difficult moments, both mental and physical, during the year.