Tadej Pogacar didn’t clench his fists at the camera and we didn’t see that well-known smile either. His victory in Liège-Bastogne-Liège was unprecedentedly dominant, but the day had a dark side for the Slovenian from UAE Team Emirates.
“It was very emotional to cycle around all day, thinking about Urska’s mother who died two years ago,” Pogacar said afterwards in the flash interview. He skipped La Doyenne in 2022 due to the sudden death of his mother-in-law. “Last year I broke my hand, so it was hard, but I rode for her mom today. I’m happy that I can finally win this wonderful race.’
Pogacar koos niet Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons before La Redoute at the start
It was no surprise that Pogacar won. After all, he was the great top favorite par excellence. ‘Whether I am going to attack on the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons? I do not know yet. We’ll see about that on Sunday,” he told a press conference two days earlier at In de Leiderstrui, among others. It ultimately turned out that the Redoute would be his place of attack, about thirty kilometers from the finish. The way Pogacar won was therefore more dominant than expected. The UAE boys rode fast from the start and at La Redoute the leader did not hesitate for a moment.
Pogacar eventually outraced number two Romain Bardet after a minute and a half. ‘It was a miserable day from the start, but we kept pushing with the team to stay warm and keep the pace high. It was great teamwork all day long. I couldn’t have done it without them,” he indicated. According to Pogacar, it was not without reason that his team was in the lead all day. ‘The most important thing was to be careful. Last year it was about saving energy, now I wanted to stay safe and warm. I had several layers on because it was super cold in the first phase. We rode hard on the climbs and safely down. From La Redoute we did everything we had to do and it was a struggle to the finish. It is special to arrive solo in such a competition.’
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UAE Team Emirates teammates did a giant job for Pogacar
After the podium ceremony, the laureate from Komenda also came to the press room, where he spoke to the cycling news for about six minutes. There he emphasized once again how incredibly important this victory is for him. ‘In 2022 Urska’s mother passed away, last year I broke my wrist and my season was somewhat ruined. That makes a victory here extra special. And extra emotional. Thinking about Urska’s mother gave me a lot of extra strength and more motivation to ride solo to the finish.’
“It was really full steam from the start to the top of the Redoute,” the all-rounder emphasized once again. ‘Domen (Novak, ed.) did great. He really did a giant job. He rode an unprecedentedly high pace for the first few hundred meters on the Redoute. After that I was able to attack nicely, at an opportune moment. The many stretches of headwind made it extra difficult. Racing 255 kilometers in cold and wet conditions is never nice. But once you hear that you have a one-minute head start, it all becomes a little easier. It’s very good for motivation.’
Pogacar indicates that he does not specifically train for such long solos or such attacks from far away. ‘That can’t really be trained. Besides, I don’t think it would do much. It goes as it always goes with races. Just try to attack and get away on your own. You have to choose the right moment, that’s the most important thing. And then you will see for yourself whether it works or not.’
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Van der Poel to UAE Team Emirates? Pogacar jokes and growls
Finally, we would like to mention one more fun fact. Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel, who finished third in Liège, are very good friends. Before the podium ceremony – and also in the press room – we saw that the duo had a great time together. “We talked a little bit about vacations,” Pogacar laughed. ‘Mathieu told me he is going on holiday to Dubai. That’s a good choice, especially because of the weather. However, it has rained a lot and there were floods, so maybe there will be swimming in the streets. No, nonsense.’
“But the United Arab Emirates is a good destination anyway,” he then refers to the origin of his employer. “Maybe he can sign some more contracts with UAE,” he makes the audience – including Van der Poel – laugh. “I can’t really enjoy myself yet, because I have a task to accomplish in Italy,” he refers to his Giro d’Italia participation.
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Youri van den Berg (Twitter: @YourivndnBerg)
