Tadej Pogacar on Cavendish’s 35th win: “Mark, I’ll let him have the record!”

“What does Mark Cavendish’s 35th Tour victory mean to you?
When I was a kid, I used to watch Mark on TV with my friends and my brother and he was a hero to so many people. He rode with such class and we became pretty good friends. He came to me in the protocol area and asked me not to beat his record. I let him! (He has 14 Tour wins.)

You almost fell, can you tell us a little more about your driving skills?
I think you saw that I had good driving techniques. And my reaction time allowed me to avoid this fall.

Looking ahead, how do you see Friday’s time trial? How do you feel about Remco Evenepoel (2nd in the general classification)?
Remco seems to be in good shape but I haven’t raced much with him. I don’t know if this is his best shape. But what is certain is that he has improved since the Dauphiné. We’ll have to see. I wouldn’t be surprised if he flies on the time trial.