José De Cauwer urges riders from other teams to "start thinking differently about cycling" to stand a chance against the big-3 at Classics
Cycling
Talks about who are the favourites for the main classics this spring mostly shrunk to just three names. Quite predictably, you could argue. Over the past years, the trio Mathieu van der Poel, Wout Van Aert and Tadej Pogacar had proven to be out of everyone's reach and with Pogacar's return to Flanders this year, outsiders can't hope to profit from a stalemate between MVDP & WVA anymore.
"The fact that he is riding alone makes it different for a lot of riders," expert José De Cauwer assesses in an interview with WielerFlits. Surely there must be someone who'll benefit from the Slovenian's presence. "But is it better for Wout that Pogacar is riding? Or for Mathieu van der Poel. Who is that better for?" Maybe just his own teammates...
Two years ago, Pogacar made it clear that cobbles won't stop him on the way to victory when he powered to Tour of Flanders title. The plan for this year is to repeat this feat. "If you saw him ride away on the Oude Kwaremont a few years ago, you could only say: oh, what kind of level is that? The others can only hope that he does not start at that same level this year."
Three kings... and who else?
Looking back, you could note that often we had surprising winners at the biggest classics or specialists for certain races such as Johan Vansummeren at the Paris-Roubaix. Now it's mostly turned into a lottery between three men. De Cauwer doesn't find that surprising looking at the teams they come from:
Obviously, having the means to sign almost everyone helps at building superteams: "Just look at what is at UAE Emirates or Visma | Lease a Bike. Just get started, right? In terms of budget, they are unmatched, and if you can cook with the best ingredients, then you also have the best product."
"In the past, men like Nick Nuyens and Johan Vansummeren could still win monuments, but the leaders of other teams now make them domestiques in the team of the top riders. Roger De Vlaeminck always says: I would never do that. But that is what is happening now, and then it becomes difficult to make it difficult for those big boys," De Cauwer laments.
Teams need to stand their ground
What can teams like Soudal - Quick-Step, without a top classics leader, do against the aliens in the league of their own? "I think that the teams and the riders should start thinking differently about cycling. Imagine you are riding ahead with one of those top riders, then you simply should not ride along. They will just ride with you to the slaughterhouse. Okay, those guys will probably ride you off anyway, but at least you made an attempt."
Sometimes it feels like team directors settle with being just second. De Cauwer warns that it's a bad habit. "The weak ones should defend themselves more and band together. That used to be the case more, I have the feeling. But now team leaders quickly think: okay, then we are second anyway."
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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