Tadej Pogacar Q&A: Injury came at perfect time ahead of Tour de France

Tadej Pogacar will try to join an elite group of cyclists to win the Tour de France three times when the world's most famous race gets under way in Bilbao, Spain on July 1.

The UAE Team Emirates rider took time out of his busy schedule to give an update on the wrist injury he suffered in April's Liege-Bastogne-Liege cycling classic that threatened his participation for this year's Tour as well as looking back on his past success in 2020 and 2021.

Tadej, first and foremost, what an incredible 2023 you’ve had so far. How would you sum it up?

All thing considered it’s been a really good year so far. If you told me before the year started that I would achieve and win what I have so far, I’d have been really happy.

Thinking back to those Belgian Classics, you looked unstoppable. What was it like racing in those famous one-day races and performing so well?

The day I won in Flanders was up there as one of my best days on a bike, if not the best. My form was good, the team was exceptional and everything just clicked on the day. The history of the race and the passion for cycling in Flanders made it extra special.

Do any of the classics stand out in particular as the most memorable?

They were all special in their own way but it’s true that Flanders was a big target from the start of the year. The way that race panned out, and the job the team did to me in position to launch my attacks, it was amazing.

Looking ahead to the biggest event on the racing calendar, the Tour De France, how excited are you to lead the charge for the team once again?

Pretty excited. It’s been an unconventional preparation we can say with the wrist injury, but it’s been really good overall. We’ve just finished off an altitude camp in Sierra