Tadej Pogacar analyzes Mathieu van der Poel, but says: "If I can choose between staying home with Urska or racing against Mathieu, I would rather stay home"

UAE-Emirates XRG has a bizarrely strong team for the Tour of Flanders. With Nils Politt, Antonio Morgado, and Mikkel Bjerg, the numbers three, four, and five from last season are present, and they are supplemented by Jhonatan Narváez, Tim Wellens, and Florian Vermeersch. "Everyone knows what we have to do on Sunday. We have a strong team, and we are ready. The Tour of Flanders is one of my favorite races. The fans are great, and the course is very interesting. I really think it is one of my favorite races. On the Oude Kwaremont, you hear so much noise, giving you that extra adrenaline kick."

On Wednesday, Pogacar was not sitting in front of the TV to watch Dwars door Vlaanderen. Because Narváez did not appear in the race, Wellens abandoned the race early, and Politt's nasty crash did not worry him on Thursday. "The whole team wants to give their best on Sunday. I think Tim Wellens didn't see a chance of winning Dwars door Vlaanderen and, therefore, didn't feel the need to give it his all for a top ten or twenty finish. All these guys have already been riding a lot, so they want to stay fit for the big races."

"Narvaez was a bit ill after Sanremo but rode on Wednesday to get back into shape. I think he will be there on Sunday because these races suit him best. It is long and hard, and that suits him. Nils has some abrasions, but he will also be fine on Sunday. And he has to be because Pogacar and UAE will make it a tough race. It's more than 250 kilometers, so we will use that to attack. That also makes it safer, so we're not going to wait. And that's how the other guys feel about it, too; that's why we're seeing so many solo riders."

Of course, the name Mathieu van der Poel also appeared several times in Waregem. Does Pogacar consider himself on equal footing with the Dutch rider? "I don't know. He beat me in Milan-Sanremo, but this is a different race. A race with more exertion and altitude meters is also his favorite terrain. He will be the man to beat, but I am here to race for the win. I will give it everything I've got to win."

"It's not just about Mathieu. Other teams want to win, and we will see that in their tactics," the Slovenian refers to teams like Visma | Lease a Bike and Lidl-Trek. "I expect to see many attacking teams and must stay focused. I don't know the course that well either, but I know where to be at the front. And I can rely on my team and the sports directors."

The most important question for Pogacar is: "How can you beat Mathieu?" "He is a better sprinter than me, that is for sure. And I think he is better at riding on the cobblestones. I will have to try not to take him along to the sprint, but if that does happen, there is not much else I can do but give it my best shot. Anything can happen. You arrive fresh at the Poggio and Cipressa in Milan-Sanremo, but it is different here. There are many climbs here that I can use to my advantage, but with his form, it will be a difficult task anyway. It's not like I'm looking for revenge or anything."

"I like racing against the best riders in the world and especially against Mathieu because I like his style," Pogacar points out. "But If I can choose between staying home with Urska or racing against Mathieu, I would rather stay home. I like that a bit more," the Slovenian concludes with a smile.