Tadej Pogacar Impresses in Montréal but Feared Canada: "Was Sick All Week"

Tadej Pogačar once again confirmed his favorite status for the upcoming Road World Championships in Rwanda at the GP de Montréal, though the Slovenian was not entirely sure about his form beforehand. At the press conference after the Canadian WorldTour race, Pogačar admitted that he had been sick for a week. "I couldn't complete all my training sessions, so I was a bit worried," WielerFlits reported.

However, the victory in Montréal did not go to Pogačar. Three laps from the finish, it seemed he was going for a solo win, but when he realized that his teammate Brandon McNulty was his only chaser, he waited for the American. They then rode together to the finish line, where McNulty was handed the win by Pogačar. In the end, Quinn Simmons also made it to the podium. A one-two for UAE Emirates XRG, resulting in nothing but smiles.

"It was an amazing day, as always, here in Canada. I love racing here. I'm happy that my form is very good and even happier that Brandon won here. We rode the last lap together, and it was even better than last year when I finished solo. The whole team was very strong and executed the plan perfectly. That’s why we could finish it off this way."

What was the moment you decided to wait for Brandon? Did you get that information via the team car, or did you see it yourself?
"After the second climb, there was a short, straight descent, and I looked back there. I saw someone riding alone 15-20 seconds behind me. I then asked the team management about the situation, because sometimes I couldn’t hear my radio due to the loud crowd. At that moment, I got confirmation that Brandon was about 20 seconds behind me. After that, I waited for him on a small climb, and then we continued together."

What did you say to each other in the final lap?
"I told Brandon he could win. It was just a few words we exchanged. We congratulated each other on this amazing day. We didn’t really have any real discussions there, haha!"

This was the 85th victory for UAE Emirates XRG this season, bringing you level with the HTC-Columbia record from 2009. Aiming for 100 now?
"We didn’t really think much about that today, that we had to chase the record for most wins in a year. We just want to win whenever we race, that’s what it’s all about. Personally, I don’t count my wins, but we definitely want to seize every opportunity."

What do you take from this week in Canada to the World Championships in Rwanda?
"Before coming to Canada, I was a bit worried that my form wasn’t great, because I was sick all week leading up to it. I couldn’t complete all the training as planned. So I was quite anxious about this. In Québec, my legs weren’t great, but I raced well there and got some rhythm. In training and in Québec, I regained my motivation and confidence, and today was once again a really good day. Looking back, I’m glad I came to Canada."