Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) concluded his spring season with a historic win at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, which he devoted to his fiancée Urška Žigart’s mom, who handed away earlier than the 2022 race.
The Slovenian was tipped because the favorite for the 2022 version of the race however introduced he wouldn’t be racing on the eve of the race following the tragic private information. In his post-race interview following his win of the 2024 version, he made clear how vital the impression on him had been.
“It was fairly emotional for me all day driving on the bike, considering of Urška’s mom two years in the past, and we needed to go dwelling,” Pogačar mentioned in a broadcast interview instantly after the race end.
“I used to be driving for Urška’s mom in the present day.”
However, the 2022 version was solely the primary of two traumatic race editions for Pogačar, because the 2023 version noticed Pogačar crash out with a damaged hand, which derailed a big portion of his racing season.
“The final two years had been actually tough,” Pogačar mentioned.
While the 2023 version had promised a showdown between Pogačar and Evenepoel, this 12 months noticed an undiluted battle between the strongest riders of the 2024 Spring Classics as Mathieu van der Poel lined up in opposition to the previous Tour de France winner.
Whether the results of a tactical misstep, a day of fatigued legs or just unhealthy luck, Van der Poel struggled on the 254.5km course – discovering himself on the improper facet of a cut up within the closing 100km, which put him 1:30 behind his rival at one level within the race.
Van der Poel and Alpecin-Deceuninck bridged again to the primary peloton, however the effort might have performed a component in permitting Pogačar a transparent run when it got here to his blistering assault on the Côte de la Redoute.
That transfer appeared just like the plan from the outset. “We rode laborious on the climbs, and protected on the downhills and on La Redoute we did precisely what we mentioned,” Pogačar mentioned. “And from then on it was struggling to the end.”
While the circumstances had been extra forgiving than the savage temperatures at La Flèche Wallonne earlier this week, the beginning was a brisk 5°C, and the race witnessed a number of sharp downpours – which means warning was central to Pogačar’s plans.
“It was a depressing day from the beginning,” Pogačar defined. “All day in my thoughts. Just to watch out. Last 12 months I had all day in my thoughts to save lots of as a lot as potential the vitality however in the present day, I used to be extra on the protected facet.”
The win marks an distinctive season efficiency thus far for the UAE Team Emirates rider, who has raced on solely 10 days and gained on seven of them. With two of these days being levels on the Volta a Catalunya – the place he gained the general classification, mountain jersey and factors jersey – the one race the place Pogačar has not excelled has been Milan-San Remo, the place he took third place.
The efficiency thus far will gas anticipation for his Giro d’Italia marketing campaign, the place he enters because the clear favorite.
“I’m actually, actually pleased that lastly, I can once more win this lovely race, and because of all of the crew that labored for me in the present day,” Pogačar added.
“It was superb teamwork and I could not have achieved it with out them and I’m stuffed with emotion.”
