Tadei Pogachar celebrated by hoisting the Tirreno-Adriatico winner's trophy for the second year in a row.

In addition to the overall win, the UAE Team Emirates rider also took home the points and young rider awards. The 23-year-old has won 10 stage races, including two Tour de France, in just over three years as a World Tour pro.

Pogachar now seems to dominate every race he targets, winning the UAE Tour, Strade Bianche, and now Tirreno-Adriatico in 2022, making him 3-for-3. Next up is Milan-San Remo on Saturday, then the Tour of Flanders, the Ardennes Classics, and the Tour de France.

He seems to be gaining in confidence and ability with each victory, but remains humble and hungry, not suffering from the pressures and expectations of team leadership and his own success.

After winning a number of awards on the podium at San Benedetto del Toro, Pogachar said, "Things are going well and I can't complain," explaining his philosophy for a stress-free and successful race.

"I love racing," he said. I go to the races to win, and I work hard to win. My team works hard to win, and if I'm the leader, I want to give back to them."

"Winning is always nice. I think we all have the same mindset of winning."

Pogachar is paid an estimated €6 million a year to win with UAE Team Emirates, with the team's home race, the Tour of the UAE, and the season's biggest race, the Tour de France, the main goals.

Expectations are high for both February and July, and Pogachar seems to be able to take advantage of it all, and then some.

"It can be stressful. Especially when you have big goals, there is pressure to win the UAE Tour or the Tour de France.

"But it motivates me even more. I don't stress myself out and I don't put pressure on myself in a bad way. I can relax and not stress about anything. That's a big plus for sure."

In Tirreno Adriatico, however, Pogachar showed no pressure at all. He lost no time to Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) and Remco Evenpole (Quick-Step Alphavinil) in the opening time trial of the Lido di Camaiore, and in the flat stage that followed, his UAE Team Emirates teammates They were well protected.

He then won the fourth stage, Bellante, with his trademark strong uphill pursuit, and the stage was won by Eddy Merckx in 1973, where he wore his maglia rosa from start to finish, and where Marco Pantani tested his form before his Grand Tour win He dominated his rivals on the double climb of Monte Carpegna, famous for being the place where Marco Pantani tested his form before winning the Grand Tour.

Pogachal's performance on Monte Carpegna was impressive, with data released on social media showing that he climbed at 6.5 kg for 18 minutes, 0.5 kg more than his rivals. This is probably comparable to his run in the Tour de France, where he was also well ahead of his rivals.

When questioned by Cycling News, he appeared to dismiss anyone trying to calculate power data, but was willing to compare his performance to his Tour de France performance, even if there is room for improvement.

"Yesterday's performance was not the same as the Tour stage. I think it was because it was super cold and it was a hard, long stage," Pogachar suggested.

"But it was still a really great ride. My fitness is about the same as it was this time last year. I'm not too far from the shape I was in at the Tour, and my numbers are pretty good."

Pogachar also noted that "I'm not too far from the shape I was in at the Tour.

The question on everyone's mind, including Pogachar's rivals, is whether he can maintain this form in the weeks leading up to Milan-San Remo, the Tour of Flanders, and Liege-Bastogne-Liege.

"I would be more than happy if I could keep this up until Liège-Bastogne-Liège," Pogachar said with a smile.

"It's always difficult to improve. Maybe I can drop a kilo.

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