The white jersey holder at the start of last year ’ s stage 20 time trial , the young Slovenian caused a sensation when he won his third stage , took back the polka-dot jersey from Richard Carapaz and gained time on Primož Roglič to claim the yellow jersey and overall victory . being so young makes it particularly difficult to deal with . Being in a position like this would affect any rider and I think I ’ ve found the best way of coping with it . At one point , my principal concern was that physical problems or bad luck might prevent me from progressing . But I ’ ve now realised that these are factors that I can ’ t fully control and that the best way to avoid them is to work very hard in training .
Have you put your yellow jersey in a special place in your home ? No , not yet , but I ’ m thinking about it . It ’ s fair to say that it ’ s a very special item and I ’ d like to find a special place for it . That ’ s why , once last year ’ s race finished on the Champs-Élysées , I made a point of not only giving each of my teammates a replica of both my yellow jersey and my polka-dot best climber ’ s jersey , but also all the members of our team ’ s staff . My success is also theirs , and I wanted them to be able to remember forever the fantastic adventure we had together .
Last year , you knocked your compatriot Primož Roglič out of top spot on the general classification in the individual time trial at Les Planche des Belles Filles , the day before the
THE CHALLENGE WILL BE EVEN GREATER THIS YEAR , BUT THAT ’ S PRECISELY WHAT MAKES IT SO EXCITING ”
race finished in Paris . Did this turn of events affect your relationship with him ? No , not at all . We respect each other as riders , but also as people , and we ’ re both happy to be part of the most beautiful period in our country ’ s cycling history . I sincerely hope that things will remain the same in the future , that we ’ ll maintain this bond .
Marc Hirschi , Matteo Trentin and Rafal Majka have joined UAE Team Emirates this winter .
How do you see their respective roles during the Tour ? They ’ re all excellent riders , who ’ ll make us even stronger . I think our core features a good mix of youth and experience and is extremely complete and balanced . We ’ re ready for every kind of terrain . Our team is continuing to grow and that gives everyone confidence . I know that some people thought that I ended being isolated too often during the last Tour , but I never shared this opinion . You have to look
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