Tadej Pogacar worried about teammate before and during Flèche Wallonne: "Then I heard he had crashed…"

Pogacar did not finish first in the last two races, which is unique for the superstar. In Paris-Roubaix, he made a mistake in a corner, allowing Mathieu van der Poel to take the lead. The Dutchman from Alpecin-Deceuninck was not there a week later in the Amstel Gold Race. Still, Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek) managed to hold off Pogacar after he and Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) had caught up with Pogacar.

After the race, the Belgian said he could have won solo without his crash, and doubts arose about whether Pogacar was tired after his spring campaign. On Wednesday, he gave a clear answer in a tough edition of the Flèche Wallonne: that was not the case.

Tadej, you look worn out. How demanding was this race?
"Thank you, that's always a nice compliment. It was a very tough race, with one of the most difficult finishes in cycling. And the weather made it even harder, of course."

After your two second places in the Amstel Gold Race and Paris-Roubaix, how important is this victory for you?
"Two second places aren't bad, but a victory is better. I'm delighted I could win here, especially since our team had planned to go for the victory."

Is this a statement?
"When I looked over my shoulder after my attack, I was glad that no one was behind me. Was I surprised? I got a really good lead-out. Ben Healy took over, and I responded, which was the right move. When I saw that there were only 200 meters to go, I thought: phew, that's a long way. Those are the longest meters in the sport."

You've shown here that you're still fit after a long period of classic races.
"I got off to a very good start on the UAE Tour and then focused on the biggest races. As a result, I haven't had that many race days, but every Sunday, I've been going full throttle in the toughest races. If I had also taken part in the other races, such as E3, Dwars door Vlaanderen, and Gent-Wevelgem, I might have given a different answer now. I still feel good."

You rode the entire climb seated. Is that the best way for you to use your power?
"If I had been standing on the pedals, my rear wheel would probably have slipped a bit. That's because I sit very far forward on my saddle. But I also train a lot on exertion while seated so that I can do it well this way."

Was there a specific plan for tackling the Wall of Huy?
"We didn't know exactly how the race would go, so there wasn't really a plan. We rode hard uphill with the help of Quick Step, which made it a bit tougher than other editions. Although we were still with 50 riders for the last climb up Huy."

Will the conditions in this race still have an impact on Sunday?
"We already went to the Ardennes thinking the weather could be bad in the Amstel, this race, and Liège. So you prepare yourself for that. I'll recover on Thursday and Friday; you see how you feel during the recon, but three days should be enough."

Last question: After he crashed, Jan Christen did the lead-out for you. Were you impressed by his performance?
"Jan is one of the most extraordinary talents in the sport, but he's still young. He broke his collarbone earlier in the season, and I was actually a bit worried that the team had selected him for the Flèche Wallonne. His season could have been over if he had crashed on his collarbone again.

So I was worried about that, and when I heard that he had crashed, I thought: shit, I hope he's okay. But he came back quickly and was incredibly strong, which didn't surprise me. I've trained with him a lot, and I know how good he is, but that goes for everyone on the team here."