Lance Armstrong recently commented on his podcast “The Move” that he believes former Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar is choosing to compete in the Giro D’Italia this season for financial reasons.
“He’s after the money”
Speaking to colleagues George Hincapie and Johan Bruyneel, Armstrong responded to Bruyneel’s question about whether Pogacar’s decision was motivated by a desire to build a legacy with a controversial answer: “No, that’s not the reason. It’s a stupid question. He’s after the money…”
However, Armstrong also offered a more balanced view, saying: “It could be a bit of both: he’s after the money, there’s a fat check waiting for him, and also because of the race. When Pogacar puts up a number, he just wants to win.”
Armstrong ran the Giro d’Italia for money
“But I know from experience, I also went there for the money.” Hincapie suggested that Tadej Pogacar may also be aiming for victory in at least one of the Grand Tours, perhaps fearing a possible defeat to Jonas Vingegaard.
Armstrong, however, didn’t delve too deeply into this theory, but did mention that he personally would never have chosen to race both the Giro and the Tour in his prime. “When I competed in the Giro, I was returning to the sport, it was different. I was going for the money. But in the years between 1999 and 2005, I never would have done that. On the other hand, it’s a different sport now,” concluded Lance Armstrong.
