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In 2021, Wieler Revue spoke with Jan Polanc, who was still riding for the UAE team but has since retired. When Boujard was young, Jean Polanc's father took him under his wing. It was around this time that Polanque met his future leader for the first time.
“I was already a pro in Lumber,” the two-time Giro d'Italia winner recalls. “When he was young, I could still beat Tadej uphill, haha. But I had to dig deeper to release him and sometimes that didn't work. The fact that he fell Later with the Emirates team it was not necessarily because of me. We already knew Andre Hauptmann (currently the sporting director of the Emirates team, editor) and Andre himself was leading the team, but overall it was basically Tadej’s choice.”
The first race Pogačar rides as a professional is the Tour Down Under. He performed well with a 13th-place finish, but Polanek impressed with something very different from his teammate. “He lost his passport in Australia. Some people were scared, but Tadej stayed calm.”
“He started sorting and arranging everything himself. He was still young and it was his first time away from home, but he remained relaxed and simply stayed a couple of days longer in Australia. He's also a relaxed lad outside of cycling. A nice person to be in the room with.” Another plus: he never snores at night, haha.
Winning mentality
Polanek tells anecdotes about Pogačar with a laugh, but adds a little later that his easy-going personality is a great strength of Pogačar. “Tadej knows what he wants and he came into the WorldTour with a winning mentality. He wanted to win right away and wasn't afraid to compete with experienced riders. He picks things up quickly and applies them.”
“He has the physical qualities, but he is also incredibly strong mentally. I have raced with him in many races this year and not once have I noticed that he feels extra pressure.”
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