Tadej Pogačar began his end-of-season racing campaign on Tuesday with a trip to Canada for the GP Cycliste de Quebec and GP Cycliste de Montréal, and then on to the UCI Road World Championships in Zurich, Switzerland, later this month.

Pogachar has not raced since winning the Tour de France in Nice on July 21. He missed the Paris Olympics and prioritized rest and training after winning the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France double.

If he wins the world title and the rainbow jersey in 2024, Pogachar will join Eddy Merckx (1974) and Stéphane Roche (1987) as the only male triple crown winner. Annemiek van Fruten won the women's triple crown in 2022.

“I don't know how many Grand Tours Primoš Roglic and I have won, but no Slovenian has ever won a world title. I want to make that right,” Pogachar said in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport.

Pogačar recently raced the Zurich World Championship course at an event in Switzerland with his personal sponsor Plume. It seemed to fit his aggressive racing style perfectly.

“It's hard, but not super hard, the riders always make the race,” he explained.

“Last year's Glasgow World Championships was supposed to end in a sprint, but it didn't. This year it's more for climbers. It's a punchy course for aggressive riders, with some technical parts. It's the perfect World Championships course.

“If Mathieu van der Pol is in great form, he will surprise us by fighting for the win. If Mathieu van der Pol is in great form, he will surprise us by fighting for the win. Then there is Lemko (Even Paul). He is a very versatile rider, like me, and can win on any terrain.

Pogachar won the Montreal GP in 2022 and is certainly the favorite to win both the Quebec GP on Friday and the Montreal GP on Sunday this year. Montreal will host a road world championship on a similar course in 2026.

Pogachar will head a strong UAE Team Emirates team in Canada, with Tim Wellens and Juan Ayuso taking his place as leader. Rounding out the team are Igor Arrieta, Finn Fischer Black, and Rafal Maika.

“I've been away from racing for a bit and I'm really looking forward to getting back into it, starting in Canada. 'Canada is a beautiful area to bike and I have good memories from two years ago.'

“Conditions are good and I am focused on enjoying the last part of the season and getting good results. The level will be high as always at the end of the season and we need to give our best. Regardless of how the rest of the season goes, I can be satisfied with what we have achieved this year. Anything else would be a bonus.”

Without a doubt, he has grown in 2024. What has changed the most?

“I worked a lot off the bike and my surroundings changed a bit. The details of the bike, the mentality of myself and my surroundings have changed. I'm more comfortable on the bike and my training plan has changed.

Is the challenge now to maintain this level or to improve further?

“I think there is room for further improvement. My life is not 110% dedicated to cycling. I have a stronger mentality. ...... If I focus on nutrition and all the other details, ...... I could be better. Or it could be worse. You never know what will happen until you try."

”If I were to go on the road, I would have to continue what I have been doing for the last few years. To be the best, you have to be better in every way compared to your competitors. It would be great if I could do that, but I'm not thinking too much about it.”

“If I don't succeed, I don't worry about it. I just want to enjoy racing and cycling as much as possible.”