Tadej Pogačar says his life has not changed since winning the Tour de France, he just has to do more media interviews.
The UAE Team Emirates rider heads into the off-season as the unexpected Tour champion at just 22-years-old.
Pogačar, who beat his Slovenian compatriot Primož Roglič to the yellow jersey on the penultimate day of racing, has reflected on the last two years of his career, having only joined the WorldTour in 2019.
In an interview Spanish newspaper Marca, he said: “My life hasn’t changed much since I won the Tour. My life is the same as before, there hasn’t been much change. Maybe a few more interviews and media related issues, but nothing too stressful.
“I think that nobody really likes interviews, but they are part of cycling, of this world. So you get used to it and now it’s not very difficult to do a few interviews.”
After winning the Tour, Pogačar continued to race late into the season, finishing ninth in Fléche Wallone before ending his season with a third-place finish in Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
Pogačar added: “I would have love for Primož to win the Tour de France, but I was there to win it.
“It’s just competition and I have great respect for him. He has shown everyone that Slovenia, a small country, can win a Grand Tour.
“He started to emerge three years ago and riding alongside him is a great experience. Now I have beaten him and I have some mixed feelings, but this is the sport.”
Pogačar also looked ahead to the 2021 Tour de France and said there is no clear favourite, but he did discuss Remco Evenepoel (Deceuninck – Quick-Step) as a serious threat for his title defence.
