‘I’m still the best’, says Tadej Pogacar as he gears up for Tour de France Singapore Criterium

SINGAPORE – Not too long ago, Tadej Pogacar was the hottest property in world cycling after he captured the 2020 and 2021 Tour de France titles.

But the Slovenian has had to settle for second spot in the last two editions after being upstaged by Jonas Vingegaard both times.

Despite this, Pogacar, 25, insists that he is still the best in the business during an interview with The Straits Times at the Mandarin Oriental hotel on Friday.

When told that the 26-year-old Dane has rendered him second fiddle, Pogacar said with a laugh: “I mean I’m still the best in the world, I just didn’t win one small race through France.”

While he admitted that an “improved and stronger” Vingegaard made it harder for him to win, he added that he was also “a bit unlucky with the preparation” in 2023 as he had resumed training only in June, two months after a wrist fracture.

“But a year goes fast and the fifth Tour de France is going to be pretty soon, so no time to look back and feel sorry for yourself,” added Pogacar, who made his Tour debut in 2020.

He is in town to compete in Sunday’s Tour de France Prudential Singapore Criterium, a multiple-lap race over a 3km route that includes landmarks such as Suntec City’s Fountain of Wealth, the Esplanade and the Merlion.

Vingegaard, who won the inaugural edition in 2022, will not be back to defend his title, but there will be a stellar cast here.

Four-time Tour winner Chris Froome, British cycling legend Mark Cavendish and Italian mountain specialist Giulio Ciccone are all eyeing the big prize.

Not that it will deter Pogacar, who is in the country for the first time. He said: “I’m looking forward to race, it’s gonna be a small criterium but really fast, on the beautiful streets of Singapore.

“In a race like this, we’ll see a lot of tactical plays, it’s not always the strongest that wins.”

Cavendish had recently made a U-turn on his retirement decision, expressing his desire to compete for another year and Pogacar sees him as a welcome addition, adding “it’s good to see Mark happy on the bike”.

Next season will be a busy one for the riders, with the Paris Olympics starting just five days after the Tour de France ends.

To avoid clashing with preparations for the July 26-Aug 11 Games, the Tour will finish outside the French capital for the first time in its 121-year history. The three-week race will conclude in Nice in the south of France.

Pogacar feels that the 2024 Tour route will be “very brutal” in the final week, despite knowing the area well.

He said: “The last three days will decide more or less who’s going to win. But, even before that, there are some tricky stages and hard finishes, time trials on this tour are not going to be simple.”

On the Nice finish, he said: “We all love the Champs Elysees but I think it’s good to spice it up a little bit also.

“I think for the spectators, this is the best but to bring the biggest (number of) fans, Paris is the best choice.”

While Pogacar prepares to renew his rivalry with Vingegaard, he also came to the Dane’s defence when the topic shifted to scepticism and doping claims that cycling champions often have to face.

He said: “There are always accusations because people just don’t like it when their guys don’t win and it’s not fair.

“But we look into the past of cycling and I understand it is pretty difficult to fully trust the athletes again.

“Because there was so much b******t going on in the last 20 years that people are trying to find something, but the winner in cycling always gets some accusations.”