"I'm a bit angry about how the race went since I really felt like there was more possible" - Stefan Küng settles for 9th place after a mechanical in key moment
Cycling
Stefan Küng may not be an outstanding favourite for upcoming cobbled Monuments, but with everyone looking at Tadej Pogacar, Mathieu van der Poel and Mads Pedersen, an opportunity may open up for a rider like Küng to ride away towards glory. However Dwars door Vlaanderen wasn't the race for the tall Swiss.
"It really wasn't an ideal day," Küng exhales heavily at the finish line in interview for Eurosport. "The problem was the second time Berg Ten Houte. I had a problem with derailleur, my chain kept jumping on and off and every time I tried to push hard it just wouldn't respond."
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"I was only able to change the bike after Mariaborrestraat [25 kilometers later, ed.]. I had to make a big effort to come back and I felt that towards the end. I just had to do way too much effort and in the end it was useless," he laughs.
It was still an impressive ride from Küng who was able to then join the move of Mads Pedersen that fought it out for remaining spots in the top-10 behind the leading four. Obviously sprints aren't a cup of the Groupama - FDJ timetrialist, but a 9th place isn't entirely a disaster.
Stefan Küng remains among the wider range of favourites for Tour of Flanders this Sunday, and especially Paris-Roubaix a week later. How does the Swissman evaluate his form with view to the two Monuments? "The shape is good. But I'm a bit angry about how the race went since I really felt like there was more possible today," he concludes.
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- Yawn! There were no ther top class sprinters there so he better have won! Let me know when he beats Jasper or Merlier or Milan!frieders309-04-2025
- Yes, I get that but it wasn’t exactly a good comparison if you ask me, circumstances and competition were very different. Also crashing whilst staying up front is pretty different from crashing and being left behind.Mistermaumau08-04-2025
- Pidcock was riding at a hard enough pace until the sector where Pogacar made up something like 20 seconds in something like... 20 seconds. Pidcock was quite a bit ahead, and suddenly he wasn't. At that point, clearly he would get caught, so might as well get caught sooner and work together. That's just good cycling. (I think the point is, plenty of people win even after they've come down in a crash - Van der Poel crashed at the worlds and won, anyway, for example).RidesHills08-04-2025
- Great sprint, Ineos set him up at exactly the right time, they protected the corners through the turns, and he did the job he was supposed to do. Nice to see him win again.RidesHills08-04-2025
- When Vingo, Rogla, and Wout were all at the height of their powers, a sight to behold.mobk08-04-2025
- To quote the article: riders from Arkéa - B&B Hotels and a few others seized the moment to launch an attack, increasing the pace as Pogacar was briefly off the bike. Not coolmij08-04-2025
- I don’t think it was a matter of easing up. I think it was a matter of attacking. And MVDP said his team would respect similar situations. Perhaps not on the penultimate climb, but I believe they would. To accelerate is a jerk move.mij08-04-2025
- His basic attitude always has been (and we know age often reinforces inherent values), if I’m going down I’m going to try taking you with me.Mistermaumau08-04-2025
- I know it’s tradition and nice but to make the discussion more interesting, if an Arkea rider had driven up to tell Alpecin or UAE to ease off for Mozzato or Vauquelin having a P, would they have been as gentlemanly?Mistermaumau08-04-2025
- That’s probably about right although if they’d talked it over it would have been in all their interests to work together to chase Pog down because those 4 arriving at the finish in that scenario would have left all 4 with a chance of victory.Mistermaumau08-04-2025