Taddei Pogachar said he does not believe the 2023 Liège-Bastogne-Liège will be a simple duel between himself and defending champion Remco Evenpole, nor does he believe it should be.

On Sunday, Pogachar could win his historic third consecutive Ardennes title.

But as Pogachar pointed out in a lengthy interview published by Het Nieuwsblad (opens in new tab) on Saturday morning, no matter what happens, he has had such a great spring that he feels he can match the overall Tour de France win.

Classics specialists will have to face the prospect of Pogachar returning to spring one-day races in the future.

"I really enjoyed the program and would definitely do it again in the future," Pogachar said. 'I don't know if we'll get the same results, but of course it's possible.'

"These victories were unexpected and I never dreamed that I could win them all. I consider these victories to be the same as my victories in the Tour de France."

"I am very happy to have won the Tour de France," he said.

If he had to choose between the two, he said it would be "difficult": one year a classic, the next a Tour.

With the Tour just around the corner, Pogachar will take on one last race before taking a break: Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Liège-Bastogne-Liège. But he insisted that his form is solid despite a very long spring campaign:

"I've been busy for a while, but I'm still in good shape. After Paris-Nice I concentrated on the Classics.

"We will see if I am still at my best on Sunday.

Pogachar added that, apart from being the classic race that suits him best alongside Flanders, "Liège is one of the most beautiful races on the calendar."

"It was my first Monument win (in 2021), but a year before that I was already on the podium and I knew I could handle a classic."

Sunday's new challenge for Pogachar will be how he fares against Remco Evenepaul (Sourdal-Quickstep), the current world champion and winner of Liège-Bastogne-Liège, like Pogachar. Pogachar said he expects a "fun fight" with Evenpoel, whom he will meet for the first time in the 2023 race. But he noted that there will be plenty of other competitors on Sunday.

"I haven't played against him much yet," he said. I have a lot of respect for him, and it's going to be a battle of the fans, and hopefully we'll both have a great day." He is one of the favorites to win, but there are other strong riders and in a tough race with a lot of climbing, a lot can happen. I'm not going to be looking at him alone."

"But I'm glad he's here and it makes it even more interesting for race fans. He's a great rider with a lot of qualities and we want to get his aerodynamics.

Liège is of course not flat, and Evenpoel attacked at the top of La Redoute last year, taking the only monument so far. Given the Belgian's speed, Pogachar thought it would be ideal for him to win solo, as he did in Flanders and Amstel this year, rather than risk everything on a final small-group sprint battle. Of course, Pogachar did win in Liège in 2021 by dominating four riders in the finishing straight, but he said he was not sure he could be the strongest in a sprint against Evenpole.

Adding to the unpredictability is the forecasted possibility of heavy rain on Sunday afternoon, unlike the nearly dry weather of two years ago. Pogachar, however, was as prepared as possible for his final challenge of the spring, scouting the last 50km on Friday. [The finale of Liège has changed again this year, adding the unsettled Côte de Cornemont just after the Côte de la Redoute, Liège's most iconic climb since it first became part of the route in 1975, and before the Côte des Forges, back after a one-year absence, the Cornemont awaits, and this challenging combination may be more important than the Roche aux Faucons a few kilometers away.

The route change "will add to the importance of La Redoute. It could be the toughest part of the race in combination with the climb immediately after (Cornemont)," Pogacar said. In previous years, we had to go to the top of La Redoute, but we could rest for a while. But now it's different. So the race will be a little different. Of course, it remains to be seen if Pogachar's fortunes will change in the final race of the 2023 Spring Classic. But for now, there are no further omens.