Tadej Pogačar’s lone previous appearance at Amstel Gold Race in 2019 finished prematurely, and the Slovenian was already back at the UAE Team Emirates bus and watching on television by the time Mathieu van der Poel began a dramatic late fightback to claim victory.
“I had to stop for a nature break. I finally came to the bus just really empty and there was still 10k to the finish,” Pogačar told NOS. “I watched the last kilometres, and I must say it was worth not finishing the race so I could see this finish, it was amazing. I think it was my best experience as a viewer.”
In the build-up to Pogačar’s second Amstel Gold Race appearance this Sunday, race director Leo van Vliet claimed that UAE Team Emirates manager Mauro Gianetti had last year signalled his interest in signing Van der Poel from Alpecin-Deceuninck.
Van der Poel, who placed second to Pogačar at the Tour of Flanders between his own victories at Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix, is under contract with Alpecin-Deceuninck until the end of 2025.
“I think if we would have him in the team, it would be something spectacular,” Pogačar told the Dutch television station, even if his laugh suggested he felt the idea was unlikely, at least in the here and now.
Despite placing fourth at Amstel Gold Race a year ago, Van der Poel has opted against lining out in 2023, but Pogačar will set out from Maastricht on Sunday as the outstanding favourite for victory.
Pogačar will also ride Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège next week, and he told Wielerflits that his hunger for success this Spring had not been sated by his victories at the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Nice.
“The hunger is still there,” Pogačar said. “I did some good training in Monaco and feel that the fitness of the last few weeks has not gone away. I'm looking forward to the Amstel Gold Race and really looking forward to it. It will not be easy to win this race, but we start with ambitions. In any case, I want to keep the focus up to and including Liège-Bastogne-Liège.”
Pogačar reconnoitred the Amstel Gold Race course on Friday afternoon and found the race of 33 hills largely as he remembered it from his incomplete debut four years ago.
“It’s complicated, with a lot of left and right, up and down, and it’s long and unpredictable. I think it’s a fun race,” Pogačar told NOS. “I don't know the names of those hills, there are so many. The Keuterberg? We explored it on Friday, yes. Super steep.”
Pogačar was careful to double check the Cauberg and the final ascent of the Bemeleberg. “We climbed them twice with the team,” he said. This time, you’d imagine, Pogačar won’t be watching them from the bus.
