CyclingYorkshire (2019): XIX. Imola (2020): Thirty-third. Leuven (2021): xxxvii. Tadej Pojjakar has yet to make his mark in the World Championships. He hopes it will be different this time.
I tried it a couple of years ago at Imola. Pogacar attacked in the full final. “I was counting on someone to be with me, for this to be the right escape. It didn’t happen. When the Belgian team started to stand behind me, I knew I had fired an important arrow.”
Tadej Pogacar is always among the favorites for the World Championships and this year in Wollongong is no different. On the downside this time, Slovenia starts with only six riders. Then there’s Primoz Roglic (who never recovered after his Vuelta crash) and Matej Mohoric (Mononucleosis), the latest winner at Milan-Sanremo.
However, Pujacar said, “I like to believe we have one of the strongest teams.” “We’re thinking loud about winning. So we have to lead the perfect track. I’m looking forward to Sunday. I think we can do better.”
The Pogacar World Cup race ran for GP Plouay and GPs in Quebec and Montreal. He won the last race after a long and hard race with Wout van Aert. The difference at the finish line in Montreal was the entire length of the bike. Wout van Aert is in good shape, but so is the Pogacar obviously.
Like Van Aert, he flew straight from Montreal to Australia. He said during a news conference on Thursday that he understood the long journey and the difference of hours.
“Everyone has done the same ride. We all come from different time zones. I’ve been in Australia for over a week and feel good. It wasn’t that hard. Once we’re racing, the body no longer thinks about that time difference.”
Tadej Pojakar finished sixth in the world championship time trial on Sunday. Janna ranked seventh. “They say Jannah was bad, but if it was bad, so am I.”
So confidence for Sunday was not affected. “A difficult match is the best scenario for me.” And there, Pogacar says, Wollongong provides the perfect route.
“Even before we get to the local laps, it will be difficult. Fifty minutes later we get to the first climb. We will only be racing for an hour and the legs will be already tired. Once we start the local laps, there will be no more time to recover. After 250 km the fatigue will take effect. On everyone. Then the final climb becomes particularly difficult. In the end, there will be very few riders, you will see.”
According to Pojjar, Matthew van der Poel and Wute van Aert will remain. “It really is a track for them. At the end of a hard race, they still have so much power that you couldn’t do better. It will be a long race of exhaustion and tired legs.”
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