'Don’t let ego ruin your week' – Tadej Pogacar faces into mountain battle at Dauphiné

World champion Tadej Pogačar appeared relaxed before the first of three crucial Alpine stages at the Critérium du Dauphiné on Friday, suggesting he’s up for the fight and pursuit of his GC rivals after losing time during the individual time trial on stage 4. However, Pogačar also emphasised that the priority was to prepare for the main showdown in July at the Tour de France.

Speaking to reporters at the start of stage 6, Pogačar described the day's route as "a nice stage, pretty hard, nothing crazy throughout the day, but I think in the end, a lot of legs will be tired, and we will see some action, probably for the GC today."

Asked if he would start making up time against his opponents by attacking in the mountains, Pogačar kept his cards relatively close to his chest. "Well, there's quite some time to catch back. So maybe we can try to start today with something, but we'll see. Let's go with the flow, I think, and enjoy the Dauphiné’s last weekend," said Pogačar.

The Slovenian acknowledged that managing ego is crucial at this point in the season, with the Tour de France looming on the horizon. Pogačar remains focused on the bigger picture regardless of the outcome over the next three stages. "It's not necessary here in Dauphiné to kill yourself. And yeah, don't let the ego ruin your week here," he explained.

"I think a really good example was Remco last year in Dauphiné. I mean, he won the time trial, and then he was not the top of the GC, and then in the Tour, he was flying. So yeah, you need to set aside your ego and pride and see what you can do, because then you still have quite some time until to the Tour de France."

Regarding Visma-Lease a Bike's strategy for stage 6 following Jonas Vingegaard's surprising attack on stage 1, Pogačar was uncertain. "I don't know, honestly, but they have two good guys to play with, Matteo [Jorgenson] as well, so I think they can play a little bit with both of them but they still need to also catch back time on Remco,” Pogačar said.

The world champion expressed confidence in his current condition despite his setback in the individual time trial, suggesting only minor improvements will be needed before the big showdown in July. "I think my shape is pretty good now. As far as it concerns the training, also here in the race, I've been feeling really good," he said. "And yeah, for sure, there's not much improvement to do until the Tour, but maybe some gains here and there are possible, maybe thinking about the time trial, but on the road, I think it's pretty solid."

Pogačar acknowledged that his rivals might prefer to avoid a sprint finish with him in Combloux on Friday given his fast finish. "I think my rivals don't want bonus seconds at the finish line, because I know I can be confident too," he said. "If we arrive as three together, there's a good chance for me to take the seconds."

The final climb to Combloux holds special memories for Pogačar, despite Vingegaard's dominant time trial victory there on stage 16 of the 2023 Tour de France, which ultimately won the Dane his second consecutive yellow jersey. 

"My memories are also pretty good. I did my first Dauphiné here, and it was the day that I kind of realised that I could do good on the 2020 Tour. And yeah, it was one of the most brutal stages I ever remember, and I will never forget it," Pogačar said