Pogacar replies with powerful speech to (new) doping insinuations and questions about consistent, dominant top form

Anyone who is winning so much has to face a lot of media—interviews beforehand, interviews after the race, and all those press conferences leading up to significant events. With the Tour of Lombardy on Saturday, Tadej Pogacar sat in a luxury hotel on Friday for one more elaborate press chat with journalists in attendance. IDLProCycling.com was present to listen to an outspoken Slovenian.

The great leader of UAE Team Emirates in 2024 repeatedly said that the press doesn't necessarily need that much from him. But just as often, he still made plenty of time for them, even when a question was asked for the hundredth time. What exactly is it like for you and Italy? Why do you ride Lombardy? Do you see yourself as a top favorite? Pogacar kept listening to them towards Il Lombardia with a smile but then took his time more extensively when the questions became more specific and original. Some of the English and Slovenian questions that made for interesting responses

After such a successful season, where do you still feel motivated to push so enthusiastically here? Is that in you, or is it also partly for the team?

"In the first place, I respect the program from the team's point of view, where skipping races and someone else suddenly having to fill in is never a good thing. But these are also just nice races, and I feel good on the bike and am in shape. So why shouldn't I keep racing until the end? Especially with the rainbow jersey on my shoulders, I can enjoy it extra."

You've won almost all of your last victories solo. Is that the most beautiful way for you, or can you also enjoy a fight to the end?

"In Strade Bianche, I knew fairly early on that I was going to win, but at the World Championship, for example, I wasn't sure of my case until the last moment. That was so tough; cramps can always creep in. So it's different every time, even though it remains a solo. The joy remains the same, while sprinting for the win gives more adrenaline. That is also super nice, but I prefer to be assured of the win as soon as possible."

Are you still surprised these days that no one can join you when you attack?

"At the World Championship, I was surprised; there were riders there who could have followed me. In other races, it was often closer to the finish, and in Emilia, we raced incredibly hard up the San Luca in the rain. Those were huge power levels, so that surprised me less."

Some people claim that you are still riding around with Tour de France legs. Can you confirm that?

"I don't know because I ride one-day races, and that's very different from the Tour, where you have to be ready to perform for three weeks. I can't handle a grand tour in my current form; it's time for the offseason. One-day races are very different, but if you put the numbers alongside each other, they're about the same as the Tour. But I don't think you can compare that."

Are you hoping for a battle on Saturday, for example, with Remco Evenepoel?

"I do hope so, yes. This Italian week may not have been his best week, but you must be mentally prepared to be good this week. You race in the rain, and there's almost never control. If you don't have the optimal motivation to win, it's already hard to win. But for Lombardia, it will be different; I assume Remco is mentally prepared for this big race and that he was slightly less so for the smaller races leading up to it."

Read more below the photo.

Tadej Pogacar honest about doping insinuations and new role as world champion

Since 1998, there has been suspicion whenever there has been talk of dominance in cycling. How do you feel about being viewed with suspicion now?

"Dominance is of all times. You see it in business and almost all sports: in tennis, in golf, in NBA, soccer, team sports, individual sports... That dominance is always there for a few years, then new talent emerges. There will be new generations and teams, and someone else will dominate. That's how life is; someone is always superior for some time."

You are being compared to the biggest names in cycling at the same time. How do you look at that?

"It's an honor for me, but I don't know someone like Eddy Merckx very well, for example. He won everything you could win when I wasn't even born yet. That's why I never compare myself to anyone else; those were different times. I go my own way and try to be the best in these times."

ASO boss Christian Prudhomme has said that questions about your dominance are "not illegitimate". How do you feel about that statement?

"Well, I don't know. Cycling is a sport where, in the past, people did everything to enhance their body's performance without knowing what it meant for their health. They risked their lives, riders of the past - and some we may not even know - struggle with health problems or mental problems because of what they did to themselves. This sport suffered tremendously from those years. There is no confidence, and we can do nothing about it. We practice our sport and hope that people will believe us again. You need a winner, and today, they are still often portrayed as cheaters. Maybe in a few generations, people will forget the past, with Armstrong and all those men who did what they did. Then we can move on because cycling is one of the healthiest sports. After all, we know how dangerous this sport can be for health. You must stay healthy; if you want to risk your health, that's a waste of your life. That's stupid; you should never risk that. Jealous and suspicious people will always be there; I can't change that."

You have been wearing the rainbow jersey for several weeks now, and in Tre Valli Varesine, we immediately saw how you can lead the peloton. How was the response to your role after stopping that race?

"I don't know; everyone moved on quickly after Tre Valli Varesine. I'm not on social media to see what everyone thought about it; it was just a matter of safety, and the organization acknowledged that. I had to take the step to talk to them because there had to be a voice for the peloton. I did feel that pressure from the riders, so I did my thing. It was good that the race was canceled, but I don't think I'm the great leader of the peloton now."

In what have you improved yourself the most as a rider this year?

"A lot of it is because I'm getting older and more experienced mentally over the years. Sometimes, I did different things in training, and I can say that this season, I felt most comfortable on the bike. I'm a more happy rider."

But there must have been a point when you thought, I've done this and this, and it works. When was that moment?

"The first confidence boost came in the Giro d'Italia, where I felt good and didn't have a bad day. I won, and I could confidently go to the Tour de France. After that, I could rest reasonably calmly and go on altitude with Urska (his fiancée, ed.). That was nice and relaxed, and in the meantime, it was a good preparation. I knew I could ride a good Tour there and demonstrated that. On day two on the San Luca, I had already improved my best five- or six-minute power, and it all fell into place. It went as planned, almost perfectly. I'm grateful for that, for that Giro-Tour double."

You could book your 25th-season victory on Saturday. Is that another motivation?

"I have stopped counting the wins; I just go with the flow of the race and try to have a good time with the team. It's not a competition for me to have as many wins as possible. 25 is a lot; it does indicate that my season could hardly have been better."

How have the first weeks as world champion in the rainbow jersey been?

"The first four days after the World Championship, I had no rainbow jersey to train in, so it felt like nothing had happened. It was different when I came to the Tour of Emilia and got my jersey and bike. It felt great to win in this jersey. There is a certain energy boost in a jersey like this, just like the pink and yellow jersey. The rainbow jersey stands out from that. You ride in the jersey all year, and everyone recognizes you as the world champion."

How will you top a season like this in the coming years?

"I realize that will be very difficult. I am ready for what the next few years will bring, even if it will be less than 2024. I will be satisfied with any outcome."

Bram van der Ploeg (Twitter: @BvdPloegg | email: b.vanderploeg@indeleiderstrui.nl)