Tadej Pogacar answers questions and praises teammate: "People won't understand how strong he was"

Tadej, how important is this victory to you?
"Very important. It is difficult to explain just how much this means to me."

Did you realize during the race that you were the strongest?
"No, not really. The others responded very well to my attacks, so it was difficult to figure out how I should do it. I tried it on every climb, making the race very difficult. On the last time up the Kwaremont, I gave it everything I had."

Did you go full speed on your first attack too?
(without a doubt) "For sure."

How sure were you that you would succeed on the last time up the Kwaremont?
"I wasn't sure at all. I only realized it when I had finished the climb and couldn't see the others anymore. Wout and Mads had been dropped several times, but Mathieu was strong. So I wasn't sure. I just gave it everything I had."

Do you enjoy the battle with Mathieu?
"We have a very cool generation of cyclists. The top riders are all good guys and great champions, so it's a lot of fun. This race was another example of that. Everything was great. A perfect day."

(thinks for a moment) "Don't remember."

You seem to understand each other even without words because you always keep riding.
"We had to because we wanted to stay ahead of the pack to minimize the risk of crashes and other dangers. And that's how we prevented counterattacks."

Some of your teammates dropped out before the final. Did that have an impact?
"Yes. In races like this, things never go exactly as you expect. Mathieu also crashed. But as far as my team is concerned, they did so well. They gave more than 100 percent. Unfortunately, we lost Jonny and Tim (Narváez and Wellens, ed.) to crashes, and Florian (Vermeersch, ed.) also had to chase for a long time.

So, it wasn't the perfect race, but everyone still gave it their all. I have to thank them all. Mikkel (Bjerg) did really great. Most people won't understand how good he was. The young boy Antonio Morgado was also impressive. He will be a great champion if he isn't one already. I can't thank them enough."

When Morgado was in the lead, we saw you make a funny gesture. What was that?
"I don't know. Maybe someone said something funny. These are moments we've been on a bike for 6 hours..."

When Mathieu and the others crashed, was there a moment to let them come back?
"We were just fighting for position, but no one took the lead after that. That would have been unnecessary. There were some attacks, but we would have waited a little longer if it had been up to me. Tim and Florian were even further back."

What was your plan beforehand?
"To make the race difficult and attack the Kwaremont a second time. So, if you look at it that way, the plan worked well. More or less."

Did you want to get revenge for Milan-Sanremo?
(sigh) "I've said it before: I wasn't seeking revenge."

Next week, Paris-Roubaix, what do you think?
"I hope for the same weather as here in Flanders. But it is another race, although I have gained confidence. I am in good shape and looking forward to it, but we have a strong team. Two guys have already been second in that race (Politt and Vermeersch, ed.), and it will only be my first time participating. But we are in good shape, as you could see."