This is how ‘Matxin’ raised Pogacar after a landslide on a big day in the mountains, saying something as normal as “I love you”

In today’s world, where the culture of achievement prevails and where failure or failure to live up to one’s expectations is heavily punished, it is not easy to accept life’s setbacks and play hard with the odds. feet on the ground. . In such a runner Tadej Pogacar –winner of two consecutive editions of Tour de France2020 and 2021 and the Tirreno-Adriatico, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the Giro de Lombardia, the Strade Bianche, the Tour of Flanders, the Amstel Gold Race or the Fleche Wallonne among other great cycling races– you have to know how to treat it when it surfs the wave and when it loses its balance and is swallowed by the blue sea. No one expected that the performance of the Slovenian (24 years old) would be so far from the leader in the time trial and, in addition, in the great mountain stage he would run out of gas in the tank, which was completely ruled out for the final victory. ‘Handsome’As usual, he was sincere, acknowledging the superiority of his rival, pointing out that he did not fully understand what had happened to him in the great stage of the mountain of Courchevel. “I’m crazy,” he said, while pointing out that his goal now is to try to win tomorrow’s stage and secure his and his teammate’s second place overall. adam yates3rd.

“The expectation is to try to fight for tomorrow’s stage. This is a mountain stage that suits him and we are focusing to make it the best possible. Let’s see how Pogacar develops. Today (yesterday) it has evolved well and we expect that for tomorrow’s episode as well. We will be optimistic, we always have been and the truth is that we want to fight for victory on the stage. I think it will be fair because of the ambition and the character, the quality and everything,” he pointed out yesterday to MD Sports Director of the UAE Emirates Team, Joxean Fernandez ‘Matxin’.

‘Matxin’ has already highlighted the teamwork and camaraderie that prevails in UAE Team Emirates the day of the Pogacar debacle on the Col de Loze, on the way to Courchevel, a day in which he praised the Catalan Marc Soler, who only had to throw a rope to Pogacar to pull him up. And yesterday he emphasized to MD the love that runners should have, as if to say that they are not machines but people with feelings. “In these broken moments you need to be with him Tadej Pogacar person than the cyclist Tadej, and sometimes say normal things like I love you or just tell him that we are with him, that we love him, that we value him and we defend him, like defending his colleagues, and while we defend any colleague when he does it”.

To the point that, as he acknowledged on the day of Pogacar’s sinking in Courchevel, “I went to Tadej’s room and kissed him. I told him that now is when we love him the most.”