“He throws away the victory” – Ex pro Michael Rasmussen criticises a rare Tadej Pogacar defeat

Danish former pro Michael Rasmussen, who secured four Tour de France stage victories during his career, has voiced criticism over a rare defeat suffered by Tadej Pogacar this season. Now a cycling expert for Viaplay, the 50-year-old spoke candidly about a rare blip in Tadej Pogacar’s otherwise impeccable season, back in the second week of the Tour de France.

"If you have to put a finger on Pogacar's season, he actually throws away the victory on the 11th stage, which Vingegaard wins. There was no doubt that Pogacar was light years stronger," he said, in an interview with Feltet.

According to the ex-pro, it was a critical error in nutrition that cost Pogacar the stage. "But he simply forgets to eat and drink in his zeal. When the stage was over, Frans Maassen sat and thought, 'no, no, we could have lost the Tour by a minute and a half already if he (Pogacar) had remembered to eat.'"

He went on to analyse Pogacar’s uncharacteristic performance during the final sprint. "It's a style study in stepping squarely. I have never seen Pogacar stand up and sit down again so many times in one sprint. In 99 out of 100 times, he beats Vingegaard in a sprint," he observed.

Despite the setback, this defeat was a mere blip in Pogacar's otherwise dominant season. The Slovenian star claimed the prestigious triple crown, leaving his competition far behind, except for this one notable exception.