Tadej continues to prepare intensively for the World Championship road race in Zürich, scheduled for September 29th, but today he can put aside his work for a few moments as he celebrates his 26th birthday.
The look at what he has achieved in just under six seasons among professionals is remarkable. With 85 victories, including three at the Tour, one at the Giro, and six in cycling monuments, at this age he can be compared with the best cyclists of all time like Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Fausto Coppi…
This season is particularly successful for Tadej, he has already celebrated 22 victories, including the pink-yellow double at the Giro and Tour. In just over a week, he will try to add the rainbow jersey of the world champion, a feat only achieved by Merckx in 1974 and Stephen Roche in 1987.
Although he has been so successful already, Tadej is just entering the best cycling years and he himself sees some room for improvement in his performances. »There is still some room for improvement. I am not yet dedicating 110% to cycling. It could be even better if I focused more on all factors and further strengthened my mindset, and there are other details, including nutrition. However, this could also worsen the situation, we will try and see how it goes,« Tadej said in a recent interview for La Gazzetta dello Sport.
In it, he also answered the question of whether he wants to become the greatest cyclist in history: »Let’s say I’m on the right path, but I need to continue the work I’ve done in recent years. If you want to be the best, you have to excel against competitors in all aspects and reach the point where everyone agrees who is the best. It would be incredible if I could achieve this, but I don’t think about it too much. If I don’t succeed, I won’t be upset. Mainly, I think about how to have fun in races and on the bike.«
For Tadej comparisons with cycling giants are flattering, but he wants to write his own story, so the nickname ‘new cannibal’ does not suit him. »If we’re talking about nicknames, Pogi is enough. I don’t eat human flesh! I don’t want to be the new anyone, I simply want to be the best version of myself, without thinking about others,« Tadej further told Gazzetta dello Sport.