Marc Soler: "Pogacar amazes you, it does a little what it wants"

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Alongside

, as one of his main supporters in all types of terrain and circumstances, will be

(Vilanova y la Geltrú, 1993).

The boy who became a cyclist -he practiced football, athletics, swimming...-, because

's club -father of the deceased

lent him a bicycle and he had a great time going around the circuit and having a snack

Gone is his stage at Movistar and a year ago in which he had to leave the Giro and Tour.

The Catalan, who has renewed illusions in the UAE Emirates, reflects on a career marked by expectations and dreams of winning, four years later, a stage in the Grande Boucle for Spanish cycling.

What will be your mission on the Tour? Help Tadej as much as possible.

I am very much looking forward to it.

I have been able to work well, I see myself with a lot of confidence.

But I'm in a new team, it's the first big tour I've done with them.

And, in addition, it is the first time that I go with the winner of the previous year, with whom he comes out with number 1. In that sense, it is a new experience that makes me very excited.

I couldn't tell you about the approach either, but I think it's quite easy. Will he have some freedom? No, no, rather than trying to achieve individual things, the mission is to go and try to win the third Tour with Tadej.

From there, the race puts each of us in his place.

Also within the team, each one has to be honest and see how far their level goes, at each moment, at each stage or each week.

I will do my best as far as I can.

The key is to try to take advantage of each other so that Tadej can get that third Tour. It will already be his fifth Tour, but last year... Last year I won't even count it.

It was, speaking ill, a whore.

But hey, these are things that can happen and this year, to get rid of the thorn of what happened and be at the maximum.

Did you feel like he needed a change of team? Yes, he needed a change.

In the sense of new challenges and new illusions.

He had been at Movistar for a long time and needed a change of scenery.

The truth is that I am very happy with the team I have joined. Many new features? Each team has its own methodology and of course I have changed.

And planning, a bit of everything.

But above all they are the desire, the new illusion.

That also helps a lot. Have you already seen the documentary 'The least thinking day'? No.

Because I know how it works... I know what sells.

I didn't even want to see it. In his abandonment of the Giro... I've been at Movistar for seven years, they've treated me like at home.

I have obtained all the results that are in my record and I am very grateful, really.

I didn't want to ignore him.

In the end they teach everything very from within, but we know what sells, the conflicts, the bad vibes.

I don't like it either, because behind all that there is a lot of work from all the riders, from all the staff, so that later four brushstrokes of small discussions come out that I honestly don't like. What is Pogacar like? On a personal level, he is like any other colleague.

He is very calm, but then he has the level that he has and he gets the results that he gets.

Is he astonishing up close? Yes, of course.

In the end, everyone takes care of themselves, trains and does everything possible to perform at their best.

But then there are people who have those two points more.

And this is one of those cases.

He does a little what he wants. He is 23 years old and looking for his third consecutive Tour. They are moments, times.

Now many young people who are performing from 20-21 years old are coming out.

In the end you never know until what age they will be able to continue at this level.

Right now Pogacar has such a high level that it has to be taken advantage of. It's been four years since a Spaniard won a stage in the Tour (Omar Fraile). I repeat, the first objective is to work for Tadej and win the Tour.

And, from there, the race can also give you options to win a stage.

I have seen them above, there is a lot of hardness.

I do not focus on any, because it is another mentality.

I can't say, this time I'm going to catch the leak, because we're going with another idea.

There won't be many options really,

so we will have to try to take advantage of it. Is the crisis in Spanish cycling that big? I don't feel pressure.

I train, I take care of myself, I do everything I can and then if those results are achieved, all the better.

Right now, for example, there is Juan Ayuso, beginning to stand out.

Valverde, Contador, Purito... I think it really is a very difficult time to match.

These are moments and perhaps in a while other runners will come out who can, not replace, but can return to obtain very good results.

It goes through times.

For example, the Belgians also go out every so often, as it can be now with Van Aert, Evenepoel... You are in full maturity, you are 28 years old... [Interrupts] Of course, of course.

That's the problem.

Since they come out so young, they outshine everything.

Actually, when the runners began to perform, it was when they were 26 or 27 years old.

Now these young people arrive who go so fast... I don't consider myself that old, but at 20 they run over you. Did the comparisons harm you at the beginning? of the public.

I trained and already, I have never compared myself with anyone.

I have been doing my job.

There have been times when the results have been very good and others not so much.

There were comparisons, yes, but I don't pay attention to them. But his name appeared next to that of Indurain or Contador. They were comparing me with a winner of five Tours... You have to be realistic.

I never gave it importance or paid attention to it.

I hope so, but...

I trained and already, I have never compared myself with anyone.

I have been doing my job.

There have been times when the results have been very good and others not so much.

There were comparisons, yes, but I don't pay attention to them. But his name appeared next to that of Indurain or Contador. They were comparing me with a winner of five Tours... You have to be realistic.

I never gave it importance or paid attention to it.

I hope so, but...

I trained and already, I have never compared myself with anyone.

I have been doing my job.

There have been times when the results have been very good and others not so much.

There were comparisons, yes, but I don't pay attention to them. But his name appeared next to that of Indurain or Contador. They were comparing me with a winner of five Tours... You have to be realistic.

I never gave it importance or paid attention to it.

I hope so, but...

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