LIEGE (Belgium) – As easy as a lesson learned so well that it brooks no reply. Tadej Pogacar did it what he had proposed and the others had nothing left but the podiumA cold day. Two degrees in the morning in Baraque de la Fraiture, snow on the trees. Heavy rain made an already harsh Sunday even more brutal. Then slowly the sun made its way through and the race got into full swing.. The UAE Emirates He paced the march on every climb towards Liège, suggesting a clear and shared strategy. The spectre Van der Poel He was never seen except at the end, forced to chase after a fall, but never really in the race. If his presence was due to the wanting to pay homage to the race, the jersey he wears and his great rival, the applause will be richly deserved.
The attack came on the Redoute, after Novak gave yet another push on a memorable day for him. At that point there was nothing left to do but go and Tadej went. He started at the bottom of the climb: earlier than usual, but if he'd waited, maybe someone else would have had the same idea. Carapaz tried to keep up, but then the Tokyo Olympic champion also lost count of his heartbeats and sat down again.
The perfect script
From that point, the Liège-Bastogne-Liège turned into a solo. A script we should be used to by now, given the recent trend of the great classics, but one that leaves us breathless every time. Elegant like someone who isn't really at the limit, mean like someone who doesn't need to put strange expressions on his face. Pogacar pushed hard for 34 kilometers with the 55-38 crankset that he chose tooth by tooth and was delivered to him in record time, because he had a similar action in mind and wanted to have the right tools.
«There was a strategy – explains the sport director Hauptman, who we block as soon as he gets out of the team car – but Theory is one thing and running is another.Bax pulled for almost 160 kilometers, he did a great job. Then Novak, with Finn and Diego (Ulissi, ed.), set a strong pace on the climbs to make the others suffer. Our plan was for Tadej to start on the Redoute, and we worked towards that. When Van der Poel crashed, we were already in front pulling, but we kept a normal pace, since they came back even though they were already a minute and a half ahead.
«What did I think when Tadej left? I crossed my fingers (smiles, rolling his eyes, ed.), because you never know. After a classic like that, if you struggle in the last 10 kilometers, you can have a big advantage, but you lose everything. So, until we got to the final straight, I was a little nervous. Leading someone like Tadej is a source of pride, a responsibility, and also a concern. But I like it…».
The strength of the group
The finish area is abuzz with beer and fans, drawn by the lull in the bad weather. In front of the bus UAE Emirates, waiting to speak with Pogacar, there is Matxin which describes its greatness, its perfection, its ineffability. And so after this long series of praises, we come to the curiosity to ask him if in reality it is not difficult to be so perfect. And he responds with a smile.
«In my opinion – he says – the most difficult thing is to create a group, when there are riders of the level of Hirschi, Almeida and UlissiHow do you convince someone like Diego, with his track record, that he has to push when there are so many kilometers left because we think it's the right thing to do? I'm proud to have created the right atmosphere. And I think the team worked well even when Tadej was alone. When they saw that Hirschi and Almeida were keeping a good guard, those behind realized they couldn't organize themselves, and against a Pogacar in such perfect condition, they lost hope."
The special dedication
Pogacar arrives, checking his cell phone for arrival. He walks out of the press room and goes to sit on the chair at the desk.. Today the Permanence It's inside a university campus, and everything about it suggests we're back at school, starting with the bathrooms. He's wearing a woolen hat and has a normal look, as if he hadn't just won the Liège Cup. In reality the rush of emotions kept them inside at the finish line, with those fingers pointing to the sky that he now explains with a hint of emotion.
«Two years ago – he says – on this same day, Urska's mother died shortly before Liege and I gave up running and ran homeLast year I crashed here too and ruined my season. Today was a pretty exciting race and I thought a lot about Daria, Urska's motherAnd I think that gave me the strength to come and get to the finish line alone. I attacked really hard, full throttle from the base of the Redoute to the summitNovak did a great job pulling for the first few hundred meters, and then it was my turn. It took a lot of strength, and I had it."
Disarming normality
You look at him and you think about what is normal for him and you even struggle to find something to ask him, given the lack of pathos in such a great victory so as not to have opened even a crack in his armor.
«It was actually quite tough – he denied – with the headwind after 230 minutes of racing and with this cold. It's not nice and it's not a given, but once you feel that the gap is one minute, then it seems easier.Oh God, it's not easy at all. Let's just say it gives you extra motivation (smiles, ed.). These are actions that you plan, that you believe in, but that you don't prepare at home.These aren't things you train for, it wouldn't make sense. But for me, racing is like this: you have to try. It can go well or badly, but you have to try. What would I like to do now? A nice week's vacation would be nice, like Mathieu said (he glances at Van der Poel sitting next to him, who laughs, ed.) who is about to go to Dubai. It's a good choice, I wouldn't mind it either, but I have a job to do in Italy».
