Returning Pogacar doesn't like to look at records: "But my chances of winning five Tours are pretty good"

On Friday, Pogacar will finally be back racing when he appears at the start of the GP Québec. The Slovenian won his third Tour de France this July, something he previously did not think possible. "When I was young, I didn't think I could win a stage in the Tour de France. After I won my first Tour, everything became more or less a bonus because that is an ultimate goal in cycling."

He has already achieved that ultimate goal three times, which puts him close to record holders Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Indurain. They all managed to win the Tour five times, making them shared record holders. According to his words, Pogacar himself is not so concerned with that.

"I race to have fun and go to races with a relaxed mindset, as opposed to feeling obligated to race," the Slovenian grand winner said. And so he's not looking at that Tour record so much, either. "I don't like discussing what could be in the future or what records can be broken. But now I've won the Tour three times, and if I stay healthy, I might have another 10 years to cycle. So then my chances are pretty good to win the Tour five times, but that's not the goal I have in mind."

To win all the grand tours and major races is the 25-year-old all-rounder's goal. He still misses three check marks to tick off that goal: the Vuelta a España, Milan-Sanremo, and Paris-Roubaix. Winning the five major races and the three grand tours, only one rider has succeeded: the cannibal Eddy Merckx. Logically, then, Pogacar-Merckx is the comparison that is often made.

"I can't compare myself to Eddy Merckx because that wasn't in my time," Pogi himself states. "It's flattering, but on the other hand, it can also be annoying since you just want to be yourself. You want to do your own thing, do your racing, and go for your history. Not for someone else's," the Slovenian speaks plainly about comparing himself to the cannibal.

So what motivates Pogacar to always push for everything and always want more? "I think all top teams and top riders push each other to the limit," explains the nearly 26-year-old hard rider. For example, Jonas Vingegaard, he says, had a role in his new Tour victory. "Jonas won the Tour de France twice, which made me even hungrier for the Tour and gave me even more motivation." The bond with other riders, according to Pogi, is thus "a good relationship," but "when it comes to fighting among ourselves, we always want to beat each other and take it to the next level."