Pogacar responds to Soudal complaints: "Domen Novak had already set the pace for 150 km"

Pogacar responded to Alaphilippe's attack on the Kruisberg, which ultimately proved to be one of the crucial moments in the race. "I followed Alaphilippe there. I don't know if he thought the finish line was at the top of that climb, but he went up the climb like a rocket," Pogacar laughed in his flash interview. "After that, I went alone, but it was still super close. The chasers were strong, so I had to give a lot. In the end, it was just too far for me."

Tadej, what made this race so tough for you?
"Alaphilippe. (laughs)

“Two strong guys ended up chasing me, which was tough. Did I go too early? I followed Alaphilippe because he's a rider you should never underestimate. After that, we worked well together, and I thought it was a good move, but it wasn't the case anymore after he dropped. A few domestiques could still do some work at the front in the peloton, but I decided to keep going. I hoped they would look at each other, but I went all in. The headwind didn't help either, I have to say. And in the sprint, I couldn't do it anymore."

So you didn't think about attacking the Cauberg anymore?
"I wasn't riding with Evenepoel and Skjelmose, so I didn't immediately know the strongest. I waited to see how things would play out and thought a sprint would be a good scenario. But I didn't have enough energy left, to be honest. Skjelmose was the fastest."

Have you fully recovered from Paris-Roubaix, which takes a serious toll on your body?
"I think so. This Amstel Gold Race was very fast, but my legs felt good. But, of course, it was completely different from Roubaix, which was much tougher. I'm taking two days to recover; then I'll ride the Flèche Wallonne and focus on the big goal: Liège-Bastogne-Liège."

There was some discontent at the Soudal Quick-Step bus about the fact that you continued as a team after Remco Evenepoel's big crash. What do you think about that?
"We were at the front of the race from the start, together with a few other teams. That big crash happened, but we lost Johnny Narváez there, and Pavel Sivakov dropped out at that point with a flat tire. So we certainly didn't accelerate but just let Domen Novak ride at the front as he had been doing for 150 kilometers. However, there were some attacks from the front, so I don't think that was our fault. Those were riders from Israel, Lotto, Visma, and Trek: guys, you can't just let ride away.

It's unfortunate for Remco, but we definitely didn't accelerate then."

You've been racing at the front of the classics since Strade Bianche. Is that mentally challenging?
"Being a cyclist isn't the worst job on the planet, I have to say. I've enjoyed it so far, and there are still two tough races to come, the best of which is Liège. And there, too, I'll be going for the win with a good team."

The fact that you can constantly compete with the best riders in the world certainly helps.
"Definitely. We challenge each other all the time. You're eager to prove yourself when you see all those top riders on the start list. I think that's cool."