The Slovene planned an attack for a third victory at the famous Tour already a year ago, but instead of joy came a cruel sobering up. “Last year you could see that he started too confidently, he wasted energy in the opening stages. At that time he probably thought that he would have it easily in his pocket. It is clear that he will approach it differently this year, he is an extremely mentally strong competitor,” states Vakoč.
When talking about the advantages of Pogačar, the list of advantages is quite long. “He’s explosive, he rides hills perfectly, but he can also sprint. He is a comprehensive competitor, he left on dice last year, he rides well in the wind, he takes care of himself when he doesn’t have a team around. He rides excellent positionally and technically,” the two-time Tour participant points out Pogačar’s preference after another. He does not hide that Pogačar is his favorite.
STUDIO TOUR with guest Petr VakočVideo: Sport.cz
But a splint on his hand won’t stop the Slovenian star. “It’s a big limitation. It will be harder to control the bike, it will limit him during sprints and who knows how much he will be able to do from the saddle,” muses Vakoč together with cycling expert Matěj Vybírale from Sport.cz on the Studio TOUR show. “If it doesn’t hurt him, it won’t be a big deal obstacle.”
Will Vindegaard stand up to the role of favorite? Contribution from the program Studio TourVideo: Sport.cz
Pogačar dropped out of training due to injury, will he have enough strength for the Tour de France? The tuning of the form is also a question. “Under normal circumstances, I would say that a person with such preparation cannot think about success on the Tour, but in his case… He doesn’t let himself get carried away,” suspects Vakoč.
Not even a journalist is afraid of Slovenia. “As for Pogachar, he’s hardly even human. He said that the wrist will not be 100%, but the legs will be. He already showed form at the national championship. He gave everyone five minutes in the time trial. And most importantly, he drove a minute and a half faster time on the same track than when he won the entire Tour. We don’t have to worry that he wouldn’t be well,” adds Vybíral.