Alpecin plays down Pogacar gap as Van der Poel calls rival GOAT

The Dutch rider had been one of the main favourites but saw his race complicated in the final phase. A crash left him with a painful hand injury and forced his team to spend valuable energy bringing him back into position. 

“My team brought me back strongly after the crash, but I felt I was not at my best anymore. On the Poggio, I quickly chose my own pace, hoping to come back if they started looking at each other, like Filippo Ganna did last year, but it was over.”

It was a rare moment where Van der Poel had to limit the damage rather than dictate the outcome. He finished outside the podium, while Pogačar went on to take a landmark victory.

Inside the team, the assessment remained calm. Manager Philip Roodhooft pointed to the context rather than the result alone. “Mathieu tried everything that was still possible. We have to accept this result. Of course, there is disappointment, but it cannot be a victory every time,” he said to Het Nieuwsblad.

More importantly, he dismissed the idea of a clear hierarchy emerging. “I do not think he made mistakes. He had to let go, but he was not completely destroyed. It is clear that the difference is not big and that everything is very close. There was also some bad luck involved. Mathieu was not completely beaten at his true level.”

There was, however, some irritation about how the race developed early on. Roodhooft did not appreciate the amount of work his team had to carry compared to UAE Team Emirates-XRG. “I found that a bit unfortunate,” he said. “Especially when you know we still have so many weeks, months and years ahead together. But that is obviously not where the difference lies. Pogačar is a very deserved winner.”

A day later, Pogačar himself reflected on his victory with a tone of gratitude. “It’s so hard to write anything after such a rollercoaster yesterday. I can’t express how grateful I am to be surrounded by great people to support through all the ups and downs,” he wrote on Instagram, also thanking teammates and fans.

 He added a nod to his closest rivals. “A special mention to Tom Pidcock, Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert. It is an honour to battle with you all.”

The respect was mutual. Among the reactions, Tom Pidcock responded with “The respect is real mate.” Van der Poel kept it even shorter, leaving a single, telling comment under Pogačar's post. 

A GOAT emoji, a quiet acknowledgement of the level he had witnessed this weekend.