Tadej Pogacar, winner of the Flèche Wallonne: “For now, the stars are aligned”

“Would you say that you managed the perfect climb on the wall of Huy?
Yes, it was a perfect race for me. My teammates (Marc Hirschi and Diego Ulissi in particular) did an amazing job, I didn’t expect them to be so strong, it gave me a big boost for the last climb. I felt that everyone was watching me today, but the fact that all my opponents were so on my back almost favored me in terms of positioning: it gave me more freedom to be good positioned against the wall.

How did you approach the last climb from a tactical point of view?
The timing is very expensive here, one bad move and it’s over. If you have too much lactic acid, you can’t sprint at the end. The goal was to keep as much as possible under the pedal for the steepest part and to be able to reaccelerate at the end. But nothing is certain here, I believe that I was in a similar form to today last year, and yet I finished outside the top 10 (12th).

“It would be crazy to win the three Ardennes classics”

Here you are at 12 victories this season, in just 18 days of racing. You are in the race to achieve the Ardennes triple. Would you say you are a man of records?
I don’t know if I like it. I don’t really know the statistics. I just do my thing. It would be crazy to win the three Ardennes classics but I know that on Sunday (Liège-Bastogne-Liège), it will be the hardest. I will do my best. You have to have the stars aligned to win and so far that’s been the case in all my races. I am very grateful for that.

Tadej Pogacar celebrates his victory on Wednesday. (B. Papon/The Team)

Is the feeling of joy always the same when you have such a string of victories?
To finish first in a group of 170 riders is always incredible. Cycling is such a competitive discipline. Each race has its own finish and its own story. The feeling of happiness that I experience is immense, every time. »