When did you find out that you would be riding the Tour de France at the age of four?
At the end of the Giro, the team indicated to me that this was a possibility. But it was more likely that I would be in reserve only as a substitute. I only got the information that I was actually going two weeks ago, which is not ideal. Of course, I would prefer to have more time to prepare and train at a higher altitude. It was so rushed, which I don’t like very much.
So what was your schedule after the Giro?
I wanted to go on a short vacation, but I didn’t make it. I just rested for a while, then I had nine days in the mountains in France with the team, which is not much. Then I returned to the Czech Republic, went to the national championship and now I’m in Italy. I have mixed feelings about it, but I’m looking forward to it.
What does it mean for you to take part in the most prestigious race for the second time in your career?
I take it as an award for this year’s performances and of course I am happy for it. If you ask someone who doesn’t follow cycling, they probably won’t know the Giro or the Vuelta. But everyone knows the Tour de France. But I have a lot of respect for this year due to the preparation, which really wasn’t ideal. I’ve never ridden the Giro-Tour combination, so I don’t really know what to expect from myself.
Does the team mainly expect you to work for Belgian leader Remec Evenepoel?
That’s right, the whole team mainly goes for Remco. The second leader will be Mikel Landa, who will also be in reserve for the overall standings, should something happen to Remec. The rest of us are here for them. I was told that I should only have work for seven mountain stages, the rest I should take it easy.
Do you believe in this role?
I’ll see what my body tells me. It just depends if I have good legs anyway. When a person has them, it doesn’t really matter if he has to struggle in every stage or if he performs in some. Sometimes, on the contrary, it is better to keep going at a fast pace than to “rest” for three days. But if I’m simply not in shape, I won’t be able to do a good job even in the seven stages.
What goals did Quick-Step set for the Tour?
We believe in each other, but we have to set realistic goals. We haven’t had a team meeting yet, so I don’t know if we want to attack the yellow jersey, the podium, or maybe the top five. But I think Remco will go well. He knows how to prepare and will be among the strongest.
But the competition is huge this year. Is it even possible to beat the Slovenian phenomenon Tadej Pogačar, who demolished everyone already at the Giro?
If he has the same form, he will be difficult to compete with. Moreover, he said that he feels even better now. Probably no one other than Jonas Vingegaard can get close to him. But no one knows how he will be after the injury. But if he didn’t manage to prepare, I don’t think he’ll even start. These elite racers have a different base than the rest of us. Their standard is equal to when someone else is at the top of their form. They simply have something extra and don’t even need that much time to prepare.
The profile of this year’s track looks very difficult. How do you see him?
The beginning will be extremely difficult. The first two stages will test us, in the fourth the Galibier is on the agenda. Almost all the leaders are afraid of the ninth stage on gravel. You can’t win the Tour there, but you can lose. And the ending will also be super difficult. Two mountain stages and a time trial at the end… I’m curious about that.
Do you have any idea what program you will have for the rest of the season?
We haven’t talked about it yet. All I know is that the Czech Tour starts four days after the end. If I ended up with relatively fresh legs, I might ride her. But that’s still a long way off.
But you won’t be going to Paris for the Olympic Games, Mathias Vacek won the only free place. What did you say about the union’s nomination?
To be honest… I felt the pressure to have it decided sometime this winter. And I think it really was. The results did not matter in the nomination. To say that Mathias had a better season than me? I do not know. They don’t talk about me at all, even though I also finished second in a race in the same category as him, and I finished in the top ten at the Grand Tour. I don’t think I would have any worse results. I have the impression that the nomination was already decided in the winter.
Do you regret not watching your first Olympics?
I mainly regret the union’s approach. In addition, he published the nomination the day before the race at the national championship, that seemed strange to me. And I’m not even like a substitute. But that doesn’t matter anymore. I definitely don’t mean that Mathias doesn’t have performance. Of course, he has great form, currently probably the best of all Czechs. And the track will probably fit him a bit more than me too, although they say it’s not as light as it looks. It deserves a nomination, but I don’t really understand the approach. In my opinion, even if I had finished third at the Giro, it would not have changed anything.
2024-06-28 10:22:35
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