Photos on Instagram show a playful and cheerful Tadej Pogacar (top photo by Alen Milavec). The Isola 2000 high altitude retreat, the first of the season, will end on Sunday and then there will be just enough time to go home and pack the Tour suitcase. Il UAE Team Emirates will meet in Florence from Wednesday and then, once the preliminary operations have been completed, we will know who our opponents will be and the hunt for the Giro-Tour double will begin.
Matxin joined his boys after the Giro Next Gen, where is the I have to team up he achieved second place with Torres behind Widar. We asked him to tell us what the atmosphere is like in that corner of the Maritime Alps., which for years were Italian and only in 1947 with the Treaty of Paris passed to France. Let's start from Rome and the pink jerseyWhat did Pogacar do after the party that Sunday night?
"The first day after the Giro finished," the Spaniard recalls, "Tadej remained in Rome for various commitments with some sponsors. Agreements that the riders don't like, but which have to be made. On Tuesday he returned to Monaco with Urska and stayed there for a week, until he went to Isola 2000 on June 4th.I can't say exactly how much he rode that week, he was free. But we know the rider's habits, so he certainly did some cycling, but We're talking about walks, lasting a couple of hours at most with a stop at a bar for a cappuccino.What I can say is that he didn't come out of the Giro tired, in his legs or even in his head."
Did he find his companions at Isola 2000?
Yes, those from the Tour group. Those who were running caught up with him as the races finished.. Today for example (yesterday for those reading, ed.), it arrived Adam YatesNils Politt isn't there because he's going to the national championships, but Ayuso, Soler, Pavel Sivakov, Tim Wellens, and Almeida are also there. And when we were complete, we had the pre-tour meeting.
Did the training at Isola 2000 start at a good pace?
No, we always pay attention to all the riders to do the first three, four days calmly, so that they can adapt to the altitude. Of course, Tadej also has his own program and has started following it.
Did you manage to see any stages of the Tour?
We've seen the last four, almost always leaving by bike from the hotelSometimes we did the whole stage, other times just the final stages, but we preferred to avoid going back and forth in the cars. We saw the one in Barcelonette and also Isola 2000 where the 19th stage ends.
How do you feel about Pogacar at this stage?
I see him motivated, I see him calm, I see him happy. I can't say anything negative, because there is nothing negativeHe laughs, jokes, and forms a great group with his teammates. They understand that he's number one in the world. Even though we have a rockstar team, obviously. They believe in Tadej as the leader of this team for the Tour.
Were you also able to test the materials?
We tested some news on bicycles, especially in the name of lightnessWe did some testing for the time trial. Small things, but they make a difference. The bikes are the same as the ones used in the Giro, but we tried to lighten them a bit.
Will Tadej remain in the squad until Sunday?
Yes, then he will go down to Monaco and stay there for a couple of days. From Wednesday we will all be in Florence.
Have you met any teams on retreat at Isola 2000?
Yes, we saw Remco and his team. On Tuesday I did the five-hour workout, doing the Bonette, and We met Egan Bernal, De Plus and the other Ineos guys arrived from Switzerland.
Have you often done such substantial workouts?
I would say yes, but this is more the coaches' area, in which we have full confidence. I can't follow them, but we shared the training program and sometimes they work differently, not always all togetherSo there were days when some people did specific tasks while others rested. They worked in doubles or triplets, but 80 percent of the time they were in groups.
In this routine, do you know if Tadej followed the various races on television?
Yes, yes of course, he followed everything. Every time they finished a training session, they met up for lunch all together and after eating they watched the stagesHe cheered on his teammates, they were all very happy. As I always say, Tadej is not just a champion: he is a leader who cares about his teammatesAnd if one day a teammate can win or get a result, he's the first one to push for it. He was happy to see his teammates always ahead; it's something that boosted everyone's morale.
And they were the ones who won and now have to be the gregarious ones?
They know perfectly well that Tadej Pogacar is the world number one; just read the interviews with Almeida and Yates after the various victories in Switzerland. I think it's a very united team. And above all, when I talk to the riders about getting them here, I speak clearly right away. Guys like Adam Yates, Sivakov, Wellens, and Politt know they'll get their space, but when Tadej is there, we run for him. These are the conditions we set before even signing the contract. I'm not the one who makes them sign, but I have only one word and that must always be respected.. When Almeida and Ayuso asked me to come to the Tour, I told them that was fine, but that we would race with the idea of a single leader and nothing will be done differently than what we had decided.
Speaking of the plans decided in December: have you considered including Majka in the Tour group, after the great Giro he did?
No, never. The program is done, defined, and clear. You only change if a rider is sick, as happened with Jay Vine who fell. For the rest, I believe this is precisely our team's strength. We'll see in the end if our method bears fruit this time too.
