Savouring past successes, preparing for the next and at the same time dampening the fans' most glaring expectations - this is how Tadej Pogačar formulated his three-pronged strategy at the first training camp in preparation for the new season. "For me personally, it was definitely the best season ever, a great year. I simply had a great time," he said during the interview at the Hotel Grand Luxor in Benidorm, looking back on a year full of successes in 2024.
Review of Pogačar's successful 2024 season
He fetched the Double of Giro and Vueltawhich had not been achieved by anyone since Marco Pantani in 1998. He crowned this with the world championship title. This kind of "Triple Crown of Cycling" was won by Eddy Merckx in 1974 and Stephen Roche in 1987, nobody else. So the club is pretty elite. Pogačar was aware of the speciality: "In cycling, you sometimes need luck on your side. That was certainly the case for me this year. I'm really grateful that everything went super smoothly and I was able to be in good form in every race from start to finish. A lot of little pieces just fell into place. It was a perfect season." But Pogačar wouldn't be Pogačar if he wanted to bake smaller rolls from now on.
"The aim is to defend the two titles at the Tour and the World Championships," he said. He also has his sights set on a Grand Tour double again, but didn't want to commit to this because he hadn't yet finalised it at the time of the interview. Route presentation of the Giro but has not yet decided between the Tour of Italy and the Tour of Spain. His response to questions from Italian and Spanish journalists on this subject was as friendly as it was meaningless. Yes, he loves both races and enjoys riding them, but does not yet know in which year.
On the other hand, he seemed quite resolute when it came to the Grand Tour triple. All three grand tours are not on the cards for him in 2025. "We have 30 riders in the team, I don't have to ride all the races myself," he said with a hint of irony in his voice. However, he still gave hope to cycling fans obsessed with records: "I would like to try, that's true. But it's not a priority. I found out this year that I can do two grand tours in one year, that it can be really nice if you're in good form. But you have to organise your planning really well with the training camps, the races and the rest breaks in between."
Season goal for Pogačar: victory at Milan-San Remo
So it's still open, even for him, the high-flyer of cycling. But the Slovenian would like to tick another box: Milan-San Remo. "It's the least predictable race on the calendar and one of the ones where I always want to prove myself. I'm slowly getting closer and closer to first place. And that is definitely one of the goals of the season," explained the Third from last year.
The attack on the Classicissima was confirmed by UAE team boss Mauro Gianetti: "This is certainly the most difficult race for him to win. But that's exactly why it's a wonderful challenge for him," said the Swiss. The question of Paris-Roubaix, which is now being asked incessantly, was cancelled in the medium term by both the rider and his employer.
"You have to make a special preparation for it. The Tour of Flanders is already special, but Roubaix requires much more effort. You certainly have to invest two to three months to be mentally and physically ready for such an endeavour. The position on the bike is also different," said Gianetti, explaining the postponement of such an attempt until later. For the time being, Pogačar should be able to take the laurels in the competitions for which his body is best suited in its current condition. That means Tour de France and World Cup in Rwandaanother Grand Tour and one or two more classic monuments. Except for Paris-Roubaix, for now.
