Bettini criticizes riders fixated on the Tour de France: "Pogacar crushes everyone"

The former world champion told BiciSport that riders are too narrow-minded when it comes to building their race schedules. "I’ve never liked riders who dedicate 80 percent of their calendar to one race," said Bettini. "Cycling is not just the Tour de France." Besides Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar, Remco Evenepoel is also fully targeting the Tour. Riders like Richard Carapaz, Enric Mas, and Ben O'Connor are also expected to start in Lille, but the former Quick-Step rider would prefer to see them focus on other races.

Some riders are heeding the advice of the 50-year-old Italian. Take Primoz Roglic, for example, who will ride both the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France. Nairo Quintana will also start the Giro in Albania. The Colombian sees the absence of the defending champion as an opportunity. "The Giro will be a big surprise every day, with attacks and impressive strategies," he said earlier. "We have to be watchful and hunt in choppy waters. The goal is always to win and reach the highest. That's what we feel like as a team and what we aim for."

Due to the dominance of the reigning world champion, Bettini believes other riders would be better off seeking success elsewhere. However, this doesn’t diminish the achievements of the Slovenian, as Bettini is a huge admirer of his talent. "As a fan, I love Pogacar’s approach to racing. He has so much fun: in February, he crushes everyone in any race in Spain, then he goes to Flanders and wins there. Then he heads to the Tour and crushes everyone again."