FILE PHOTO: Cycling - UCI World Championships 2023 - Glasgow, Scotland, Britain - August 6, 2023 Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar in action during the men's elite road race REUTERS/Maja Smiejkowska
(Reuters) - Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar said his win in the Volta a Catalunya on Sunday has left him high on confidence ahead of this summer's Tour de France and Giro d'Italia campaigns.
Two-time Tour de France champion Pogacar won four out of seven stages at the Volta a Catalunya to clinch a dominant victory, finishing over three minutes ahead of Spaniard Mikel Landa in the general classification.
"This whole week has meant a lot to me, I had a rough half-season last year," Pogacar told reporters, referring to his crash at last year's Liege-Bastogne-Liege, which resulted in a fractured wrist.
"To start the season like this is really fantastic. This victory gives me a lot of confidence and I can see my shape is good. I'm really on a good path for the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France... I'm the most comfortable I've ever been on the bike.
"I really made one more step to enjoy it even more and to go every day with a smile on the bike, because I feel good with training and everything. I'm really happy and this is sometimes more important than just the numbers."
The Giro d'Italia will take place from May 4-26, with the Tour de France beginning on June 29 in Florence and ending on July 21 in Nice.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
