Classics specialist Tiesj Benoot has called for riders to stop “racing for second” and pacing on the front while superstars Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) are there to benefit from it.
One of the most versatile one-day racers in the peloton, Benoot has started 31 Monuments in his career and seen the tactics up close, mostly at the Tour of Flanders, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Il Lombardia, where the Slovenian and Dutch rider have been dominant in recent memory.
“Now that Pogačar has started riding the Classics and Van der Poel has taken a big step, it’s almost become a utopia for many riders. The Tour of Flanders is made so difficult that tactics no longer play a role. But something can happen to them, and of course, they don’t ride everything.”
But after making his move from Visma-Lease a Bike to the big-budget French team, just what can be done about Pogačar and Van der Poel? After all, Benoot is expected to be one of Decathlon’s leaders in the effort against them this spring.
“We all have to stop riding at the front when Van der Poel and Pogačar are there,” he said. “I don’t understand that. In my opinion, that’s racing for second place: if you even start helping them…”
He’ll be hoping to put his own tactics into…
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