Tadej Pogacar to race three more times in 2023

Tadej Pogačar will be seen a few more times in competition in 2023. The Slovenian will contest three Italian autumn races at the end of September and the beginning of October. The UAE Emirates rider will end his cycling season after the Il Lombardia, he said in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Bronze at the road worlds

The last time Pogačar raced was at the world championships in Glasgow, Scotland. The double Tour winner competed for the world title in the road race, but could not match Mathieu van der Poel, and took bronze. At the world time trial championships Pog finished 21st, considerably lower than expected.

After a short break following the worlds, Pogačar is ramping up for a rally at the end of the season. Pogačar will be in action three more times on Italian soil, at the Giro dell’Emilia (September 30), Tre Valli Varesine (October 3) and the Il Lombardia (October 7).

Rallying for Lombardy

“Il Lombardia is the motivation I need to train for the final races of the year. I’ve always loved the end of season Italian Classics,” Pogačar said.

Pog could not match Jonas Vingegaard at the Tour de France in July in 2023, settling for second. That was only his second race after crashing out of Liège–Bastogne–Liège, breaking his wrist. That was a considerable setback for the two-time champion, as he had to miss several weeks of training and lead-up races. The Slovenian rider hopes to end his season with a bang, taking this third win at the final Monument of 2023.

Only one regret

Looking back on his year, he is pleased with his multiple results. “There is only one thing I’d change: my crash at Liège–Bastogne–Liège. Without the fractured wrist, my season would have been perfect,” Pogačar added.