Serial winner Tadej Pogačar made a rare but glaring tactical error at the Tour of Flanders on Sunday, where he finished fourth in a two-up sprint for the win.
The Slovenian had ridden a superb debut at the cobbled Monument but was beaten by Mathieu van der Poel after he and the Dutchman played a waiting game to start the sprint. That saw chasers Dylan van Baarle (Ineos Grenadiers) and Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ) catch them up and squeeze Pogačar off the podium within sight of the line.
Had Pogačar kept riding or gone to the front he could have assured himself a place in the top two or even won.
The Tour de France champion was visibly annoyed but after he’d calmed down he told reporters: “In the moment, I was really disappointed because I couldn’t do my sprint. I was boxed in. But that’s cycling: sometimes you’re boxed in, sometimes you have an open road. I was not mad to anyone; it may have seemed like this, but I was just frustrated with myself because I couldn’t do the best 100m to the finish.”
Denne historien er fra April 07, 2022-utgaven av CYCLING WEEKLY.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra April 07, 2022-utgaven av CYCLING WEEKLY.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
CLASSIC BIKE - JOHNNY BERRY
Johnny be good at making beautiful lightweight bikes
UK SCENE - WUNDERKIND HUDSON WINS YORKSHIRE CX
Newly crowned junior hill-climb champ shows his versatility by winning round seven on the mud
WATT WORKS FOR ME TADEJ POGAČAR
The man himself - subject of this special issue - explains the key performance changes behind his record-breaking year
11 WAYS TO POG-UP YOUR PLAN
Tadej Pocačar's performance is out of reach but you can adapt his training to raise your game. Chris Marshall-Bell consults the experts to find out how
Why do modern aero bikes look less aero?
Are today's aero bikes really faster, or is marketing just getting better? Joe Baker investigates...
REVIEW OF THE YEAR
An Olympic year is always special and the cycling season once again delivered a year of highs and lows, from Pogi's triple to Katie Archibald's pre-Olympic trip
MEET THE PARENTS
What made Tadej Pogačar the phenomenon he is today? Chris Marshall-Bell went to Slovenia to meet his mum and dad, Mirko and Marjeta
HALF MAN HALF GOAT
Tadej Pogačar may have had a phenomenal season, but has he done enough to cement his status as the greatest of all time? Chris Marshall-Bell weighs the arguments for and against
Lefevere cashes in his chips and leaves cycling management
The news that Patrick Lefevere will step down as Quick Step boss marks the end of an era, after 22 years in charge
Mathieu van der Poel weighs up skipping Tour de France
Dutchman hints at missing Tour in favour of mtb Worlds bid, reports Tom Thewlis from Dénia, Spain
