It has not been long since Tadej Pogacar came fourth at the Tour of Flanders and now the UAE Team Emirates rider is back on the bike to experience the Paris-Roubaix Cobbles. This whole route will be part of the Tour De France so it is important that he gets his bearings straight.
This is going to be his reconnaissance ride and it already seems a bit more difficult than the Tour of Flanders for him. Pogacar said:
It is more difficult than the Tour of Flanders. It is usually flat here, which is different from yesterday.
My legs still hurt a bit from yesterday. I didn’t kick too hard during the recon.
(Credit: Sporza)
In July, we will finally see the Tour De France taking place, there will be three opening days of racing followed by a resting day in Denmark. Stage 5 of the event will be filled with cobblestones from Lille to Arenberg Port du Hainaut. In total, we are talking about 11 cobbled sectors.
As the route will start traversing south of Cambrai, more sectors will be added. Tadej Pogacar had a lot to say about his experience:
I look forward to the cobbled stage in the Tour. It can go terribly wrong or it can go OK. You won’t win the Tour here, but you can lose the Tour.
(Credits: Sporza)
View this post on Instagram
Although the plans are not finalized, Pogacar could make an appearance at the Paris-Roubaix and also aim at the Tour De France, after all, he has to defend his title. He will need to mentally and physically prepare himself if he needs to increase his probability of winning.
Pogacar is busy learning each and everything about cobbles, Dwars door Vlaanderen marked his first appearance in a cobbled classics. His Tour of Flanders performance was amazing, his acceleration on the critical climbs was a true spectacle.
Before the Tour of Flanders started, Pogacar had a lot to say:
Yeah, it was more or less like I thought it would be, but it was still a bit of a shock for the body and the mind on Wednesday. You need to be in position all the time.
After the race, even though he did not win any title and could not make it to the podium, Pogacar said:
All in all, it was a great experience. It was a really amazing race. The team was super and perfect. We lit it up in the finale, me alone with Mathieu [Van der Poel], and the atmosphere on the climbs was incredible.
We know that Tadej Pogacar is going to hit back and he will hit back with all he has got. He will come out stronger and with much more experience. The Paris-Roubaix and Tour De France are not that far now and we will see much more of Pogacar there!
Also Read: Primoz Roglic Wins The Opening Time Trial Of Itzulia Basque Country As History Repeats Itself
Featured Image Via Instagram/tadejpogacar
