Morgado questions Pogacar’s sprint against Van Aert - 'Looked like a flat rear tyre'

According to teammate Antonio Morgado, the Slovenian may have lined up for the final sprint against Wout van Aert with a slow puncture.

Pogačar’s race had already been shaped by misfortune. Like many of the favourites, he suffered multiple punctures on the cobbles, forcing him to chase. 

After the finish, Morgado revealed that there may have been a further issue in the decisive moment on the Velodrome. “It looked like he had a problem with the rear tyre,” he said to In de Leiderstrui. “When we checked the bike, it didn’t feel right. It seemed like he had a puncture at the back.”

That would suggest Pogačar entered the sprint on the Roubaix velodrome at a disadvantage, potentially affecting his ability to produce a full effort against Van Aert.

Pogačar himself admitted after the finish that he never quite had the legs in the final. “I still had hope going into the sprint, but as soon as I launched, my legs felt like spaghetti,” he said to CyclingProNet.

“I realised pretty quickly it was going to be mission impossible. I still gave everything, but he has won on the Champs Élysées before, so he’s not easy to beat.”

Morgado also looked back on his own race, which mirrored the chaos of the day. The Portuguese rider was of great value to Pogacar in the early phase of the race, but endured no fewer than five punctures, including four before the Trouée d’Arenberg and another in the finale, leaving him focused simply on reaching the finish.

“It was very hard just to get through it,” he said. “At that point, you’re just trying to survive and make it to the Velodrome.”

“It wasn’t really our day,” Morgado admitted, who finished 117th. “There were crashes, punctures… the luck wasn’t on our side. But we can still be proud of how we rode as a team.”