Two-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar says a crash in which he fractured his wrist came at the “perfect time” for the 2023 Tour.
The 24-year-old Slovenian, who rides for UAE Team Emirates, was injured at the Liege-Bastogne-Liege race in April.
But the timing of the accident meant he was able to rest before his bid for a third Tour victory.
“I’ve already been back on the road for a few weeks now,” Pogacar told the UAE’s National newspaper.
“Actually you could say it happened at a perfect time. Naturally I didn’t want it to happen like that, but I was due a long break and I guess the injury just forced me to rest a bit more,” he explained.
Pogacar had originally planned a four-week break in preparation for the Tour, which starts in Bilbao, Spain, on 1 July.
He had already won the Tour of Flanders, Amstel Gold Race and La Fleche Wallonne before the crash in Belgium.
“It’s been an unconventional preparation with the wrist injury, but it’s been really good overall,” Pogacar said.
The Slovenian won the Tour de France in 2020 and 2021 but was denied a third title in a row last year by Dane Jonas Vingegaard.
However, he said he was “excited” about his chances this year.
“We have a great team and understand each other well. There will also be strong competitors so it won’t be straightforward, but we’ll give it a good crack,” he said.