“He throws away the victory” – Ex pro Michael Rasmussen criticises a rare Tadej Pogacar defeat
Cycling
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.
Rasmussen is annoying... And also not a good person. You can tell. I dont get why Viaplay has him on. We have a lot of better people to be on air for cycling in Denmark.. I get that there is many X-dopers on air all over the world and so on, but Rasmussen just... He just aint right to put on a Viaplay contract. Really dont like the guy, as you can figure.
I don’t want to compare or name names but haven’t you noticed that lately (last 10 years or so) that there are more and more unlikeable annoying guys taking over (almost monopolising) the news and having enormous fanbases. Rasmussen has a TINY audience and is, like most of his kind actually pretty easy to ignore if you really wanted but here it seems this sort are kept alive mostly by those complaining about their presence, others wouldn’t give them the time of day if they weren’t constantly brought up in comments.
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- The truth is already out. Thats what the purpose of the testimony he gave was. Nevermind someone innocent would not have ruined so many lives in the process. If he somehow was ever allowed back in pro cycling or his records restored, not only would it be a travesty for Justice in sport, but it would be the end of cycling. Already done so much damage, and continues to by making stupid statements on his podcast to stay relevant. If he actually had any respect for the sport, or other people, he'd stop treating the world like fools and own his past and present. Not try and make up sob stories. Especially when all they do is highlight his entitlement and privilege.HoopoeChai07-04-2025
- "very sick" but only 3 antibiotic days? strange.
maria2024202407-04-2025 - ahahah, nice and funny boy.maria2024202407-04-2025
- You're dreaming LA Doper !frieders307-04-2025
- Care to retract that statement Johan !frieders307-04-2025
- BS! His son even admitted he was off a few % because he was sick after E3, even taking antibiotics. So he wasn't at Tadeg's level due to that !frieders307-04-2025
- TP, for me now, is an alien...
leedorney07-04-2025 - You have to keep all else held equal or you're not isolating the change. A lighter rider is faster at everything, save downhills, all else held equal, as I keep showing. As for wind, just as in flat TTs weight basically doesn't matter, except that lighter equals slightly less rolling resistance. In the same manner, for a 30 kph headwind, weight doesn't matter, as the relevant equation is power vs CdA. The reason why more weight is helpful downhill is the same reason it's hurtful uphill, it "gives back" the energy (not speed) you gained by going up the hill. Lastly, in a sprint, weight is again counterproductive, assuming one has to accelerate up to speed. Accelerating a mass takes energy, and a heavier one takes more energy than a lighter one. Now, at most sprint speeds, almost all energy goes into wind resistance, but the acceleration of mass still does play a part.acem8207-04-2025
- Agreed. He was dropped hard on every other climb. Without the run up he might have not been in the final sprint. And why not try it? Kudos for him for trying to make the race rather than just following.mij06-04-2025
- To me it seemed like an attempt to get through the climb closer to the front, since his burst power was lacking. If he starts earlier he can take the hill slower and still not be too far behind by the top. It kept him in that group of 4, where he might have been dropped had they all stayed together to the bottom of the climb. Who knows, though. I’m just guessing.RidesHills06-04-2025