Jonathan Milan<\/a>?
\n
Without.<\/p>\nWas that a difficult decision for the team?
\n
It\u2019s been a big wish of mine for many years to win the Green Jersey. Trying to do that with Jonny is not easy.<\/p>\n
We also have Ayuso now, and that wouldn\u2019t work. Last year I accepted not going to the Tour. Now he accepts that he\u2019s not going and does something else. That\u2019s how a big team works.<\/p>\n
Is it difficult to make compromises for the team?
\n
No. I\u2019m totally fine with that.<\/p>\n
Last year it was a smart decision to bring Jonny to the Tour and send me to the Giro. Now it\u2019s his turn to compromise.<\/p>\n
Could Pogacar racing Roubaix be an advantage for you?
\n
It depends on the race scenario. In Roubaix there\u2019s always a surprise. Someone punctures. There are a million scenarios.<\/p>\n
On one hand it\u2019s nice that he\u2019s there. On the other, it\u2019s a pain in the ass. I can give you a good answer after the race.<\/p>\n
Are you surprised by how Pogacar and Van der Poel race positively together?
\n
No. That\u2019s how we race now. If you stop riding, the race comes back together and then you\u2019re dropped later anyway.<\/p>\n
We ride because we want to win. And we also have self respect. It\u2019s nice to look at.<\/p>\n
Could races like Amstel suit you if tactics come into play?
\n
It\u2019s about adapting. Racing is changing and getting harder and longer. You have to adapt and try to be the best version of yourself every time.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m in a position where I can still dream of winning these races, and I\u2019m happy with that.<\/p>\n
Is skipping Flanders to focus on Roubaix an option?
\n
No. I\u2019m paid to ride the classics. That\u2019s a no go.<\/p>\n
Have you tested the tyre pressure system yet?
\n
Not yet. Maybe we will. Otherwise it wouldn\u2019t be on one of the bikes.<\/p>\n
It could help. It could also be a piece of shit. If it doesn\u2019t work, it\u2019s gone. We test everything. If it doesn\u2019t fit, it goes in the trash.<\/p>\n
Did you expect cycling to become this serious when you were younger?
\n
No. Not at all.<\/p>\n
When I turned pro, cycling was completely different. Now you have to be so dialled in and serious. You grow into it. If you want to stay here, you have to accept it.<\/p>\n
Do you often reflect on your world title in Yorkshire?
\n
It brought more responsibility and more pressure. People expect you to win, and if you don\u2019t, it\u2019s a disappointment.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s something I had to learn fast.<\/p>\n
Has Lidl\u2019s arrival as title sponsor changed much?
\n
Not yet. I\u2019m still waiting for my Lidl employee shopping card.<\/p>\n
But you can see big visions and big dreams now. Equipment, testing, design. I was always dreaming big. Now everyone in this team is dreaming big.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Then it will still be a goal to win the Green Jersey at the Tour. Can you…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":313198,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[4985,1952,110189,53652,109119,114899,101,6549,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-313197","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-cycling","tag-interview","tag-jonathan-milan","tag-juan-ayuso","tag-lidl-trek","tag-mads-pedersen","tag-sports","tag-tour-de-france","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/313197","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=313197"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/313197\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/313198"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=313197"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=313197"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=313197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}