Tadej Pogacar was only the fourth rider in cycling history to name victories in the five most important one-day races as a career goal.
"In the future, I want to try to win all five monuments," said the two-time Tour winner at the training camp in Dénia, Spain. Pogacar has already won Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the Tour of Lombardy, and next year he will take part in the Tour of Flanders for the first time. The other monuments are Milan-Sanremo and Paris-Roubaix. So far, only the Belgians Rik van Looy, Eddy Merckx and Roger De Vlaeminck have managed to win all five races at least once.
In Flanders, Pogacar wants to prepare primarily for the cobbled stage of this year's Tour de France. "It's a new challenge, it will help me for the Tour. But I won't be the captain. I want to gain experience and do my best," said the 23-year-old. After the race, the Slovenian wants to take a look at the Tour's cobblestone sectors, which have to be ridden on the fifth stage on 6 July.
Pogacar's new team-mates include Pascal Ackermann, who switched from Bora-hansgrohe to UAE. "I hope our sprinters have more luck this year and take a few victories," said the exceptional talent. However, Pogacar did not reveal whether Ackermann would be travelling to the Tour. "I don't know yet, but we definitely need strong riders."
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