Tadej Pogacar is determined to win the rainbow jersey and wants to win at the finish line in Zurich to crown a dream season.

The Slovenian champion, after the historic Giro-Tour double, wants to complete his successes by also adding the World Championship . The last to succeed in this feat was Stephen Roche in 1987, the only one in history, together with Eddy Merckx .

Pogacar, therefore, wants to make history : "“I am ready for anything – said the Slovenian in the pre-race press conference – The rainbow jersey is something special, everyone wants to wear it. For me it is a big goal, I have been chasing it for a few years and if it doesn't go well this time, I will continue to chase it in the coming years. Compared to Glasgow 2023, the route is more suitable for me, but I am curious to see how the race could unfold. A World Championship is a bit like a Monument, with the difference that in the Monuments your teammates know you better. Furthermore, the dynamics of the World Championship, the lack of radios and the fact of racing on a circuit change things, compared to a Classic.

I don't know if the Zürichbergstrasse is long enough, as a climb, to make the difference. But there are many climbs along the circuit. It's a very treacherous route, because the uphill sections are not long, but after these there are no immediate descents to recover. That's why I imagine different situations throughout the race, lap after lap. There's plenty of room for attacks, even from far away, and to make the race tough.

How the teams will ride will be decisive. But in any case, I don’t expect a bunch sprint, although for me that wouldn’t be a bad scenario, as I do quite well in sprints. My team? It’s enormously strong, with big names. In my experience, this Slovenia is one of the best teams in the world. We have two and maybe even three very important cards to play in the final. But we will have to move carefully and play them intelligently.”

Photo: Sprint Cycling Agency