00:00You've done Strader Bianchi four times, fifth was your worst result.
00:04Which place do you target today?
00:07I think obviously your target is trying to win, but I think a podium today we can be very satisfied
00:13with.
00:14I think the shape is good, we have confidence going into this race.
00:20Do you prefer when Pogacar has a real teammate with him, like Tim Valens,
00:24or someone like Del Toro who could make the race different?
00:27Yeah, I think Del Toro is actually the biggest change of the race this year,
00:30he will change the dynamic a lot.
00:34Obviously his level is incredible, we've seen that already this year,
00:38after the Giro last year he came on as a rider to be one of the best in the world,
00:43so having him racing with Tade, they obviously get on very well, you see that.
00:47So I think he's also a dangerous one.
00:52Why do you keep coming to a race when you already know the name of the winner before the start?
00:57Who is the winner of today?
00:59Tell us.
01:00Huh?
01:01Tell us.
01:02In my dreams it was me, so I don't know who was in your dreams.
01:07What's the way to win Stade Bianchi when UAE is so strong?
01:10I think you need to take this into your advantage.
01:13It's not going to be easy, I think it's very unlikely we will have a different winner,
01:16but it's always possible and you need to always believe in that.
01:22If not, there is no point of coming to the start.
01:25What do you make of the weather conditions today?
01:28They are probably the best, the most smooth conditions you can have for this type of racing.
01:35No powder, but dry and fast gravel.
01:39So I think it will be a very, very fast race today.
01:42Is it still one of the most exciting races of the year?
01:45Oh, definitely.
01:46I think it's my second favorite race on the road calendar after Paris-Roubaix.
01:51So I'm really looking forward to today.
01:56Can you tell us about your memory about this race when you were watching it on TV age 10 or
02:0212?
02:03It was great memory.
02:05Always here is a big race with a lot of moments for the riders.
02:13It's always a bit...
02:14There's always problems, always...
02:17Yeah, there's some good racing.
02:19And the white roads make it difficult for everyone to stay together.
02:26So it's always an interesting race to watch.
02:29And one of the beautiful in the year.
02:32So yeah, it's a really good race.
02:35How much have you studied how to win it?
02:38How to win it?
02:39It's complicated.
02:40For the moment, the best solution is to stay in Pogacar wheel.
02:43It's the better wheel.
02:45And yeah, you have to be extremely strong.
02:49And nobody does it since I won the last two years.
02:55So yeah, it's to tell how hard it is to stay in Israel.
03:00What do you think you are able to do today?
03:03I don't know.
03:04Honestly, I'm here to see what I can do.
03:06And yeah, I hope I will surprise myself.
03:09But I will try to follow the best and see where I am.
03:17Tadej Pogacar is not the only one who starts his season today.
03:20You as well.
03:21But this is your first time at Stade Bianche.
03:25What is this race in your mind?
03:28A really cool one.
03:30It's very beautiful here.
03:32And yeah, I haven't raced in Italy much.
03:34But I think it's for sure one of the coolest races.
03:36But also one of the toughest.
03:38What do you think you can do here with the experience you have in the Cyclo Cross?
03:42Yeah, I don't know.
03:44I don't think the off-road experience plays that big of a part.
03:49I also think it's the efforts type that always made the CX guys do well here.
03:54But yeah, nowadays it's also become a bit too much of a climbers race.
03:59So I'm afraid it's a bit too much uphill.
04:03But yeah, we'll just see how today goes and then that's something about the future.
04:08Has Mathieu van der Poel explained to you how to win this race?
04:11No.
04:12And it was also, I think, a completely different race five years ago.
04:18A sunny Stade Bianche.
04:20Does it remind you the year you won it?
04:23Not really.
04:24It was boiling hot that day.
04:26So it's very, very different circumstances.
04:29But yeah, of course, it's one of my best victories.
04:33Have you wanted to come back after you won the Giro d'Italia stage here last year?
04:37It definitely helped.
04:39But anyway, I wanted to be back at some point.
04:42The last years there were always different reasons why I was not here.
04:45But I always missed the race a lot.
04:48So it's good to be here again.
04:50How is the condition?
04:51How are the ambitions?
04:53The ambitions are high.
04:54I hope to do as good result as possible.
04:57I think my run into the season was not ideal.
05:01But yeah, I want to do my very best and hopefully at least right there in the final.
05:07Like two years ago, Stade Bianche is your first race of the year.
05:10What's the feeling of resuming racing?
05:13It feels great.
05:14A lot of excitement and yeah, I hope I'm ready.
05:19Do you know the young Frenchman, Paul Sexas?
05:22Yeah, I know that guy.
05:23Yeah, he's pretty good.
05:24What do you think he can do today?
05:25I think he can win also, but I will try to win before him.
05:30Now that you have a sector under your name, is there a way you would like to honor this sector
05:34and do something there?
05:36I mean, yeah, it's really a big honor to receive a sector name.
05:42I mean, a stone next to the sector with my name and it's a really nice memory and I accepted
05:49it with real honor.
05:52But yeah, I'm not thinking just because there's a rock with my name there that this is the moment to
05:57attack.
05:57But you never know, maybe it is.
06:11I'll see you later.
06:11Bye.
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