Pogacar aims for historic World Championships double: "I’ve spent more time than usual on my TT bike"

Pogacar returns to Canada after a short break. After dominating the Tour, the leader of UAE Team Emirates - XRG reported that he was exhausted. “But that's normal,” he explains to Sporza, among others. “You're already tired when you ride one race, imagine having to complete almost 20 in a row...”

It wasn't just physically that he was utterly exhausted, but mentally, the world champion also had a difficult moment. “Everyone needs to be able to rest their mind. Especially in the world of sports, where athletes have to perform at the highest level and under the greatest pressure all the time. After the Tour, I took the time to do that.”

Pogacar deliberately chose to skip altitude training: he prepared at home. “I'm pretty happy with how my summer went. The end of the season always has its ups and downs, but I'm glad to be here. After the Tour, I took a break, then followed Urska for her races and did some good training sessions at home. I couldn't fit another big training block at altitude into my summer.”

In Quebec City and Montreal, Pogacar is logically the top favorite. “We are here with a strong team, and I will be happy if I can help us to victory, in whatever way I can. I'm definitely going for it, but for me it's not a disaster if I don't win, no. Among others, Wout van Aert, who beat him in Paris, is also there. ”Will we get a rematch here? Wout is here, so he'll be good. We'll see how it goes."

However, a victory in Canada would be secondary, as the bigger goal is later this month: Pogacar aims to shine at the World Championships in Rwanda and win the rainbow jersey for the second time. "Of course I want to peak at the World Championships. That's the main goal of this final part of the season. I also want to use these races as good training and hope that I'll be ready."

But the road race will not be his only goal. Unlike last year, the Slovenian will also compete in the time trial. And if Pogacar competes, he will go for gold. To do so, he will have to contend with top favorite Remco Evenepoel. “Do I really want to challenge Remco? Of course, that's the goal.” In 2022, the top rider achieved his best performance at a World Championship time trial, finishing sixth in Australia.

But this time, the course in Rwanda is made for him, with plenty of hills and altitude meters. "I want to put the pressure on him and the other strong specialists. The course should suit me, although I will need to have a perfect day. I have always been a fan of the discipline and have now spent more time than usual on my time trial bike. I am also going there to prove that I am the best on that day."