Refreshed Tadej Pogacar ready for another tilt at Tour de France after injury
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UAE Team Emirates' Tadej Pogacar is back from injury and raring to go at July's Tour de France.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LJUBLJANA – Tadej Pogacar remains confident about his fitness
The 24-year-old earned a run of victories at the Tour of Flanders, Amstel Gold Race and La Fleche Wallonne and was the overwhelming favourite to win Liege-Bastogne-Liege in April, but crashed out of that race and fractured his left wrist.
The two-time Tour winner had planned a four-week break from racing after Liege-Bastogne-Liege and, although his preparations were thrown into disarray, the UAE Team Emirates rider remains optimistic about a third title.
“You could say it happened at a perfect time,” Pogacar told UAE’s National newspaper on Thursday.
“Naturally I didn’t want it to happen like that, but I was due a long break and the injury just forced me to rest a bit more.
“I was back on the indoor trainer a week after the crash. That way I could hold my fitness a bit and I also was doing rehab on the wrist and some running, core work, etc.
“I’ve been back on the road for a few weeks now and feeling pretty good. It shouldn’t hinder me too much for the tour.”
Having opted to miss his usual tune-up at the Tour of Slovenia, Pogacar will head into the July 1-23 Tour de France with just two days of racing at the Slovenian National Championships, which began with the 15.7km time trial on Thursday.
He made a winning return by beating second-placed Marko Pavlic by a massive 5min 14sec with his 29min 43sec.
“The national championship is good preparation for me and an ideal test before the Tour de France,” said Pogacar, who will also take part in the 156km road race on Sunday.
“My arm is better, it’s not quite there yet, but I don’t feel any more discomfort in training. My injury bothers me a bit on technical aspects, but it doesn’t bother my legs.”
Pogacar, who won the Tour in 2020 and 2021, narrowly missed out on a third successive title after being beaten by Dane Jonas Vingegaard in 2022.
“(I’m) pretty excited. It’s been an unconventional preparation with the wrist injury, but it’s been really good overall,” he added. “It’s intense preparation but that’s what it takes. I’m enjoying the process.
“We have a great team and understand each other well. There will also be strong competitors so it won’t be straightforward, but we’ll give it a good crack.” REUTERS, AFP
