3 things Pogačar could have done differently in the Tour of Flanders finale
The Slovenian got ousted from the podium
Photo by:
Sirotti
Sunday’s Tour of Flanders was a thrilling finish to another incredible edition of one of the toughest one-day races in pro cycling. Mathieu van der Poel broke away with the Tour de France champ, and managed to stay on his wheel as they crested the impossibly difficult Koppenberg climb. From that point on, it was MvdP’s race to lose. The two worked together, and approached the finish line with the Dutch rider the clear favourite to outkick Pog.
Van der Poel didn’t blink in the final 300 metres, slowing down to an almost standstill, continuing to check over his shoulder to see if Pogačar was about to make a move, if the two chasers Dylan van Baarle and Valentin Madouas would catch on.
Right as the two chasers caught them, MvdP launched an incredible sprint, easily defeating the three other riders. But the Cat and mouse games between the Dutchman and Slovenian in the final kilometer meant that Pogačar was shut out of the podium.
It’s always easy to judge a race from the comfort of your couch, but Pog clearly should have done three things a little differently. Firstly, the Slovenian should have paid attention to the chasers, as van der Poel did. Also, knowing that the Dutchman had a faster kick, it might have made more sense to launch earlier to bring the speed up and give him a slightly better outcome.
Yes, Pogacar was blocked in the sprint but that's part of the game. Frustrating but he knows that he has only himself to blame for letting them come back. It's good to see him angry. He will come back and win De Ronde, I'm sure. #RVV22 pic.twitter.com/seFpXugwZo
— Mihai Simion (@faustocoppi60) April 3, 2022
With MvdP’s incredible power from a standstill, Pog never had a chance sprinting from such a slow speed. The third mistake, which was a result of the first one, was getting boxed in at the end. Even if Pog could outkick the other two and salvage second, he had nowhere to go. Gears wise, you can also see that MvdP and Pog started the sprint in similar gears, but the Slovenian quickly shifted to a much bigger one, as you can see his cadence drop dramatically, and slowed him down.
You can watch the dramatic finale below.
