When it’s put to Domen Novak that he and his Slovenian teammates will have the easiest job possible when it comes to defending Tadej Pogačar’s rainbow jersey in the fast-approaching UCI Road World Championships, the 30-year-old responds with a broad grin.
It’s true that when Pogačar attacked last year with 100 kilometres to go in Zurich, that was effectively his Slovenian teammates’ job done for the day. They could easily have climbed off and gone to watch him ride to victory from the comfort of the Slovenian team bus.
For Pogačar, there is the added sense of responsibility that riding for the number one rider in the world automatically brings. Particularly when that rider has been wearing a rainbow jersey for the last 12 months.
“Last year it was like that,” Novak told Cyclingnews about his ‘easy’ role in Zurich as Pogačar completed his solo attack.
In any case, as Novak says, a rider as versatile and powerful as Pogačar – and who showed excellent form in Canada – can shine on any kind of terrain, regardless of where the race takes place.
Given the absence in Africa of Slovenian stalwart Jan Tratnik – the last teammate to stay with Pogačar in Zurich before he blasted off and who has something of a team captain’s role in the squad – there may need to be some alterations.
Primož Roglič, Matej Mohorič, Luka Mezgec, Gal…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at CyclingNews RSS Feed…