Cycling-Dominant Pogacar not in a giving mood as Tour lead swells
LOUDENVIELLE, France (Reuters) -Tadej Pogacar has no intention of handing out freebies at this year's Tour de France - not even with the yellow jersey firmly on his back and rivals gasping for air in the mountains.
After storming to his fourth stage victory, the UAE Team Emirates - XRG leader dismissed the idea that he should back off to spare his competitors - a trend that emerged during the Lance Armstrong era - insisting that every opportunity to win is one worth taking.
"I'm not here to make enemies, but it's the Tour de France. You cannot just back off. The team pays you to win, not to give away. If there's an opportunity, you go for it," the Slovenian said.
The world champion's commanding time trial victory on Friday further solidified his lead in the general classification, coming a day after he dealt a massive blow to his main rivals.
The defending champion leads Jonas Vingegaard by a massive 4:07 after quadrupling his advantage over the Danish rider in two days.
Yet Pogacar said he's not thinking about the next summit finish or iconic climb just yet.
"The big point of the Tour was today," he said. "Now, we go stage by stage. The goal is to defend the jersey and keep the same gap. We can't burn out the team - we have to be smart."
Asked whether his dominance risked alienating others in the peloton, Pogacar was unapologetic.
"When I finish my career, I probably won't talk to 99% of the peloton anyway. I'll focus on my close friends and family."
Despite the bravado, he remains acutely aware of how quickly things can unravel at the Tour.
"In 2022 and 2023, I cracked. I had great tours, but I lost. You never know - a bad day can always come," he said, referring to his painful losses to Vingegaard.
The three-time Tour champion also offered a rare moment of introspection when asked what keeps him pushing after every win.
"What's the point of anything?" he said. 'I built my life around the bike. I met my closest friends and my fiancee through cycling. You just have to enjoy the moment - not just the victories."
Still, with the finish in Paris looming, Pogacar shows no sign of slowing or sharing the glory, true to his 'Baby Cannibal' nickname, a reference to all-time great Eddy Merckx, the man he could emulate one day.
Just like the Belgian he can win the Tour the year after claiming the world title, a feat achieved by only three riders, with American Greg LeMond in 1990 being the last to achieve it.
(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Toby Davis)
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