Commercial competition: Tadej Pogacar ensures great astonishment in the peloton
Most recently, he had “only” finished twice. In the classic Paris-Roubaix, he could not follow Mathieu van der Poel in the final phase. Last Sunday he had to give up Mattias Skjelmosis very narrowly at the Amstel Gold Race. Does Tadej Pogacar weaken?
On Wednesday, the dominant Slovenian of the Emirates team wiped all doubts aside. Better: he drove his competitor almost playfully and triumphed for the second time at the Flèche Wallonne one -day race.
Deceased grandfather gives Mattias Skjelmosis the necessary strength
The 26-year-old set his attack 400 meters before the finish. This had it all. Pogacar was irresistible on the 16 percent steep piece of the Mur de Huy, and main competitor Remco Evenepoel (B/Soudal) could not go along with the tremendous pace and had to be satisfied with ninth. It was a satisfaction for Pogacar. At the Amstel Gold Race, his attack had not fertilized 43 km before the finish.
Shortly before the end of his impressive classic campaign, the three-time Tour-de-France winner celebrated another prestige success. It is his third victory in a one-day race this year after the world champion was able to win Strade Bianche and the Flanders tour.
The biggest lead since 2003
« It is a great feeling to win here. It was a hard race. We had to fight with complicated conditions, » Pogacar sniffed in the winner’s face. In between, it had rained heavily, many cycling professionals fought with the conditions and the cool temperatures. There were no falls. 40 kilometers before the finish, it caught Skjelmose, who then had to give up the race with a bloody knee and a damaged elbow.
Bob Jungels (M.) can be satisfied with his performance. Photo: Getty Images
Kévin Vauquelin (Arkéa) secured second place on Wednesday. The Frenchman had already become second last year. « I have been going through difficult moments on a mental level lately. This was a day when I fought against myself to grow beyond myself. It is something special. I can’t realize it yet. » I said, « said Michel Ries’s teammate immediately after the strain. Mountain bike Olympic champion Thomas Pidcock (GB/Q36.5) finished third.
Urine, spit and beer: Does cycling have a fan problem?
Pogacar could enjoy the last few meters. He won with a ten second ahead. This is a huge difference in the flèche Wallonne. In the history books you have to leaf through to 2003 to find a greater difference between first place and second place. At that time, Igor Astarloa (e) prevailed as a outlier. He triumphed in front of his compatriot Aitor Osa with a 16 second lead.
The spring classics end on Sunday with the third part of the Ardennes Week. Pogacar won Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2021 and 2024. The Slovenian is the top favorite for the fourth of five monuments of cycling. The rivals have to think about the oldest classic. Otherwise they will not get out of amazement.
Geniets and jungels at the front
Three Luxembourgers tackled the hardships over 205.1 kilometers, two of them made it to Huy. Luc Wirtgen (Tudor) ended the race early, while his two compatriots convinced with a decent idea. Kevin Geniets (Groupama) and Bob Jungels (Ineos) were divided into their teams as helpers. Romain Grégoire (F/Groupama) and Magnus Sheffield (GB/Ineos) thanked places seven and 17.
Geniets and Jungels drove into the final phase in the ever smaller peloton. When the Mur de Huy went up for the second time 37 kilometers before the finish line, Geniets appeared far ahead. Jungels followed right behind. They appeared at the forefront of up to seven kilometers before the finish. The outliers of the day were caught up in the Côte de Cherave and only 25 drivers were considered for the victory.
Geniets and Jungels fought the last one and a half kilometers to the finish. They almost reached this together. Geniets drove as 36. The local fans can look forward to Sunday. Liège-Bastogne-Liège is better for the two Luxembourgers. The chances of a strong conclusion to the classic campaign are intact.
