Cycling giant Tadej Pogacar is in strong form a few weeks before the Tour de France. At the start of the Tour de Suisse, the Slovenian superstar won single-handedly. Even a technical glitch couldn’t slow him down.
With 70 kilometers to go, Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) drove away from everyone and celebrated victory on the opening stage. His lead over second-placed Richard Carapaz from the EF Education-EasyPost team was 2:14 minutes.
Technical breakdown doesn’t stop Pogacar
Is everything easy for the cycling dominator? Not quite! “It was hard, really hard – it wasn’t pleasant to be alone in the final phase,” revealed Pogacar and revealed: “At first I had no radio, I didn’t know what was going on behind me – so I just kept driving. When I realized how big the gap was, I tried to find my rhythm.”
Pogacar defied the technical breakdown and comfortably leads the Tour de Suisse after the first day. The tour in Switzerland is intended to give the 27-year-old the finishing touches for the upcoming Tour de France (July 4th to 26th). With another triumph on the Champs-Élysées, the Slovenian could draw level with Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Jacques Anquetil and Miguel Indurain (five overall Tour victories each).
Pogacar is excited for the Tour de Suisse
“The training went very well both individually and as a team, and I come to the Tour de Suisse strong and motivated. This is my first time racing, which makes it all the more exciting,” Pogacar told team media before the start of the Tour de Suisse.
“After seeing our teammates compete and perform well in other races, we can’t wait to put on our bibs and put what we’ve learned into action,” said Pogacar.