ANALYSIS: Tadej Pogacar silences critics with powerful image at La Fleche Wallonne 2025

The 2025 edition of La Fleche Wallonne, held in punishing conditions of cold, rain, and treacherous roads, didn’t just deliver drama - it sparked debate and silenced a few loud voices along the way.

The race is always decided on the road, but this time even casual fans - those who usually tune in only for the final climb - found themselves glued to the screen from start to finish. The reason? The fallout from the Amstel Gold Race just days earlier, where Mattias Skjelmose handed Tadej Pogacar his first defeat of the season.

Since Sunday, discussions had swirled: was it Pogacar’s positioning in the sprint? Was Skjelmose simply the strongest? Did Remco Evenepoel play a part in dragging the Dane back into contention? Many had already handed Pogacar the win in Amstel the moment he attacked - such is his aura of inevitability. But cycling doesn’t run on reputation. The race is run on the road.

Pogacar may not win every time - but he wins almost every time. His defeat sparked surprise among fans and sharpened the claws of his critics. Some claimed he was tired, that he was paying the price for being a different kind of rider - one who dares to animate races, to attack rather than wait for the perfect moment, one who refuses to ride solely by strategy or numbers.

For Pogacar, every race is there to be won. Even when he doesn’t stand on the top step of the podium, you can be sure he was in the fight - and very few riders in the sport’s long history can say the same.

Heading into La Flèche Wallonne, most expected him to win. But beneath that expectation, many secretly hoped he wouldn’t. They wanted to see him falter. Could Evenepoel, Skjelmose, or Tom Pidcock topple the World Champion? The road - and the brutal slopes of the Mur de Huy - would decide.

Skjelmose had crashed earlier. Evenepoel was present. So were Ben Healy, Pidcock, and Kévin Vauquelin. Inside the final kilometre, UAE Team Emirates - XRG took control. An attack came. Pogacar responded. Then he accelerated. No one could match him.

At the summit, he crossed the line alone - his margin of victory one not seen in years on this iconic climb.

But perhaps the most powerful moment came not during the race, but in a photograph taken at the finish line. Pogacar, arms stretched wide, palms open, mouth firmly shut.

That image spoke volumes. His closed mouth said everything it needed to. You could interpret it in different ways - but the clearest message was this: silence for the critics.