Tadej Pogacar has arrived in Belgium for the Cobbled Spring Classics ahead of the Tour of Flanders. The Slovenian has described the cobbled Spring Classics as “Venturing into the Unknown” as this will be an entirely different kind of racing than what Pogacar is used to.
Shortly after arriving in Belgium, Pogacar went out for reconnaissance of Dwars door Vlaanderen which will take place this Wednesday, he was joined by his teammates. This seems very interesting as the Slovenian opted for racing the Dwars door Vlaanderen while rivals like Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) will be training.
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It is to be noted that Pogacar has not raced since finishing fifth at Milan-San Remo, so with this race, he will test out his Flemish skills. Pogacar will not be alone this time, he will be accompanied by the UAE Team Emirates road captain Matteo Trentin, Alexys Brunel, Mikkel Bjerg, Vegard Stake Laengen, Rui Oliveira, and Oliviero Troia. This seems like a very strong lineup.
Pogacar stated via UAE Team Emirates:
I’ve really been looking forward to coming to Flanders. The history and passion for cycling in Belgium is unique and I can’t wait to be a part of it.
The shape is good and hopefully, we can be near the front, but I’m under no illusions about the cobbles: I know this is a different kind of racing than normal. But I’ll try to soak it all in and enjoy it as much as possible.
My teammate Matteo Trentin knows these Classics races as well as anyone, so we’ll look to his experience in the team for sure. It’s a bit of a step into the unknown but one I’m very excited for.
Naturally, a deep dive was conducted for Pogacar, and it seems that he is already familiar with the cobbles of Northern Europe. He has raced around the continent before, this was all before joining the UAE Team Emirates back in 2019.
If we really need proof that Pogacar can tackle this then his solo victory at Strade Bianche holds enough weightage. That victory shows that he has the necessary WorldTour ability and bike skills to take on big players like Van Aert, Mathieu van der Poel, and anyone else who stands in his way.
No matter what happens, Pogacar will always have support from Road Captain Matteo Trentin. Trentin had this to say about Pogacar:
I think Tadej can also perform well here, it’s a different style of racing but he can adapt well.
It’s a pleasure to ride with him and I have no doubt he’ll be strong. I believe we have a group that’s capable of doing good things. Hopefully, we can get as many of our guys as possible deep into the final, then anything is possible.
Pogacar is getting ready for the Spring Cobbled Classics and the Tour of Flanders, this will bring out the best in him, it has to. Either way, he seems motivated and focused to take this challenge head-on!
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Featured Image Via Instagram/tadejpogacar
