Tadej Pogacar issued an ominous warning to his Tour de France rivals Wednesday, the two-time winner declaring, "I've never felt so good on a bike."

The Slovenian is seeking to become the first cyclist since Marco Pantani in 1998 - the year Pogacar was born - to win both the Giro d'Italia and Tour in the same season.

And three days before the 2024 edition of cycling's showcase event starts in Florence, Italy, Pogacar oozed confidence, as he aims to add to his 2020 and 2021 Tour triumphs.

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"I have the feeling that I've made progress since the Giro and that my form is better than expected," said the 25-year-old, runner-up to Danish rider Jonas Vingegaard in the past two years. 

"I've tested my legs a little, and to be honest, I've never felt so good on a bike," he told his UAE Team's website.

"Everyone thinks that I'm going to win the Tour every year, but I didn't win the last two times," added Pogacar, whose preparations last year were hampered by a wrist fracture.

"A lot of things weren't right after my fall in Liege," he recalled.

"I found out who was there to help me and who wasn't. There was disappointment and negative energy around me, and I wasn't feeling 100% confident on the Tour.

"All that built up to a point where I crumbled. It was during the time trial at Combloux. After that, I was at a standstill."

Twelve months on, it is in-form Pogacar's rivals who have endured less than ideal build-ups to the three-week marathon that starts in Florence and ends this year in Nice, France, due to preparations for the Paris Olympics.

Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel and Pogacar's fellow countryman Primoz Roglic all have had falls that have interrupted their preparations.

"Jonas was really badly injured (with multiple fractures), but I think he'll be OK," Pogacar said. "If he is feeling mentally strong and has made a good recovery, he will be at his top level.

"We saw that Remco and Primoz were in good shape in the Dauphine, and I reckon they'll be at their best.

"But, you never know. Last year, I thought I was 100%, but one day I was really good, then the next I wasn't ready."

Asked if he was keen to make a strong start to exploit any possible weakness in his main contenders for the 2024 title, he shrugged.

"I can't speak too much about that," he said. "The first two stages are difficult and will show where we all are compared to one another. We'll decide after the first two stages how to approach the following days."

How To Watch Tour de France 2024 In The United States 

A live broadcast of the 2024 Tour de France will be available on Peacock for those watching from the United States. 

Peacock is the exclusive home of the event in the United States through 2029, with start-to-finish coverage of every stage, though select stages also will air on NBC.

How To Watch Tour de France 2024 In Canada 

FloBikes will provide a live broadcast for Canadian audiences.

Viewers in Canada will be able to watch all 21 stages of the Tour de France 2024 live on FloBikes and the FloSports app.

FloBikes also will provide updates, highlights and behind-the-scenes coverage throughout the entire event for all Flo subscribers.

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FloBikes is the streaming home to some of the best cycling from across the globe. Check out the broadcast schedule to watch more of your favorites in action.

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Video footage from each event will be archived and stored in a video library for FloBikes subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscriptions.

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