Pogačar press conference includes references to Marsman, Matthews, ‘mentor’ Bonifazio and Mathieu van der Poel
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Follow us on GoogleAt long last, at least in his own mind, Tadej Pogačar finally managed to win Milan-San Remo on Saturday. It produced a cheerful Slovenian from UAE Emirates-XRG, who took plenty of time after the finish to speak at length to the world’s media on the Italian coast. IDLProCycling.com was there and selected several notable insights from Pogačar’s post-race comments.
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Pogačar on the crash in Milan-San Remo
“It’s unfortunate, you know? There is never a good place to hit the ground. Earlier in the race my team-mate Jan Christen had already crashed as well, and I heard there was something wrong with his collarbone, but I’ll hear more once I get back on the bus.
"So there is no good place to crash, but that is especially true in Imperia, just before the Cipressa... it is war in that phase of the race, on narrow roads, and everybody knows it. There was just one moment where I could not brake or react in time and I was on the ground. A lot of riders went down after me as well, so above all I just hope everyone is okay. Unfortunately, it is part of the sport.”
Pogačar on mentally recovering after the crash
“I was able to get up straight after the crash, or well... straight away? I slid for so long, I have never even gone that far on a water slide. Once I was able to get up, I tried to pick up my bike. But an Alpecin rider was lying right on top of it, and first of all I asked him if he was okay.
“He thought I wanted to pull my bike away from underneath him and he said, ‘I can’t move.’ But I was mainly trying to tell him not to stress and that I wanted to help him. It did not look good.
“In moments like that, a lot goes through your head. At first I thought I would just go straight on at the Cipressa and take the cycle path into Sanremo, but then I thought about Bling. He could not race here because he crashed here while preparing for his favourite race.”
Pogačar on physically recovering after the crash
“Then I got up and immediately saw that Florian Vermeersch and Felix Großschartner had waited for me. They pulled me all the way to the foot of the Cipressa and by the time I got there I was full of adrenaline. Brandon McNulty was waiting for me at the bottom and he guided me back into position perfectly.
“Isaac then did a perfect lead-out and we were on our way. The team gave me so much belief, also through the radio. In the end it did not cost me that much energy to come back, precisely because there was not really any chaos left before the Cipressa. We just rode with the team-mates and I only had to follow, without fighting for every position.”
Pogačar on the battle with Tom Pidcock and Mathieu van der Poel
“When there were three of us at the top of the Cipressa, I thought: am I going to finish on the podium again and be disappointed? Or am I going to try again on the Poggio and win the sprint this time? I was able to drop Mathieu, who maybe missed one percent, but Tom was really good.
“He was glued to my wheel, so I had absolutely no chance of riding him off. I knew he was fast and in top form. But even when I crossed the finish line, I still was not sure whether I had won. It is one of the biggest victories of my career and I still need a little time for it to sink in, but at least I now have a few days for that.”
Pogačar on training with mentor Bonifazio on the motorbike
“Finally, I do not have to come and train along the coast twice a week anymore for one of the most unpredictable races on the calendar, because that was quite a mental task during the winter. It is a relief to finally win it after trying for so many years.
“But it helped. Florian Vermeersch was there for a few of those training days as well, together with Niccolò Bonifazio, who I can safely call the man who knows this race best. In the world. To have him as a mentor was really nice. I learned a lot from him and I am very grateful for that.
“On the other hand, I am also glad it is no longer necessary, because in every training session you are still risking your life. No offence, but the Italian roads are sometimes criminal. Although they are working on proper cycle paths, so hopefully in a few years we will not be talking about that anymore on this coast.”
Pogačar on Flanders and especially Roubaix
“I know I can complete my Monuments list with Roubaix, but Flanders comes first. We have put a lot of work into Roubaix, but after winning Sanremo, everything is a bonus. I am going to recover well now and then head to Belgium.
“We will start both races with a strong team and of course we want to win, but it definitely does not have to be with me alone. I am really looking forward to it.”
Tom van der Salm (27) comes from the charming town of Zeilberg (Deurne) in the Netherlands and has been working as editor-in-chief & journalist at IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, In de Leiderstrui, since 2019. He travels with the peloton from the Tour de France to the AlUla Tour and from the World Championships in Rwanda or Canada to the Zilvermeercross in Mol. In his spare time he enjoys playing football, mountain biking, running, walking with his Labrador/Stabyhoun, investing, holidays, (specialty) beers, reading, cooking and watching sports & documentaries!
Contact: [email protected]
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