Pogačar leads the Tour de France peloton around the Arc de Triomphe as he heads to his second overall victory in 2021 ; with his fiance Urška Žigart , a fellow Slovenian pro cyclist who rides for Team Bike Exchange ; in the blue leader ’ s jersey at the 2022 Tirreno-Adriatico , which he won for the second time in March .
five , the first week of the 2022 Tour promises to be particularly challenging . Do you worry that you might lose your chances like your compatriot Primož Roglič did last year ? No , that ’ s not the kind of thing I think about , even though I know that no one is immune to that kind of setback . When you ’ re fighting for victory in a big race like the Tour , the last thing you want is for one of your rivals to be eliminated because of an incident . I ’ ve never been to Denmark before so I don ’ t really know what to expect over the three days we ’ ll be there , but I ’ m counting on my teammate Mikkel Bjerg briefing me in detail . The favourites for victory in Paris are often asked which stages they think are most critical at the Tour . Without wanting to be trite or state the obvious , the magic of this race resides in the fact that the verdict can arrive on any day . This isn ’ t a cliché , but an implacable truth .
I BELIEVE THAT WHEN YOU DO THINGS WITH PASSION , THERE ARE FEWER OBSTACLES TO SUCCESS ”
Eddy Merckx said this winter that you resemble him . That ’ s quite a compliment . Do you dream of winning five Tours de France like he did ? What Eddy Merckx achieved throughout his career and in the Tour de France in particular is exceptional . There are no other words to describe it . But I don ’ t think about records and races I might win . I try to avoid getting too far ahead of myself so that I can concentrate more fully on the demands I face in the present . My main objective essentially is to continue having fun on my bike because that ’ s why
I became a professional rider . And I ’ m one of those people who believe that when you do things with passion , there are fewer obstacles on the road to success .
Last year you told us that you hadn ’ t yet decided on the most appropriate place to put your yellow jersey at home . Have you found somewhere for it now ? Not yet ! I look after my yellow jerseys very carefully , but I ’ m hoping to move to a bigger apartment soon . It ’ ll then be much easier for me to find the most appropriate place for this special garment . ●
PHOTOGRAPHS : FRÉDÉRIC MONS / L ’ ÉQUIPE , INSTAGRAM
14 | TOUR DE FRANCE 2022