Following his stunning victory at Sunday's Amstel Gold Race, Tadej Pogacar revealed it was rival Mathieu van der Poel who gave him a key piece of advice that helped him take the win. Now it has been revealed the pair often share tips and offer best wishes prior to big races.
In a post-race interview taking immediately after the conclusion of the Amstel Gold Race, Pogacar revealed that the 2019 race winner, van der Poel had informed him of the best place to launch his race-winning attack. "Mathieu told me to go on the Keutenberg," said the Slovenian. "It's the toughest climb and it suits me best. He texted me three days ago. I'll send him another thank you."
Then in his post-race press conference, Pogacar elaborated further. "It's not a big deal," laughed the UAE Team Emirates leader. "But Mathieu was right. We often have contact that way, then we fool around and wish each other luck for the races to come."
Amstel Gold Race director, Leo van Vliet had previously revealed that UAE Team Emirates had expressed an interest in bringing the Alpecin-Deceuninck star to their set-up. If successful that would of course see Pogacar and van der Poel line up alongside each other instead of against each other. A scary prospect for all other riders in the peloton if it were to come to fruition.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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