“The motorbikes formed a wall...” - Rival claims Tadej Pogacar was suddenly ‘pulled along’ at 15kph faster during Roubaix chase
Cycling
Tadej Pogacar’s ride at Paris-Roubaix 2026 has been framed as one of the defining performances of the race. A puncture at the worst possible moment, a frantic chase, and a return to the front before finishing second behind Wout van Aert. From the outside, it looked like a display of pure strength. Inside the peloton, the picture was more complicated.
“We suddenly started riding 15kph faster”
Oliver Naesen was not riding at the front when Pogacar punctured. Instead, he was caught in the chasing group, close enough to see exactly how the comeback developed. Speaking on the HLN Wielerpodcast, he explained: “I saw Pogacar’s setback and comeback from very close.”
What stood out was not just the effort, but the sudden shift in speed. “The motorbikes formed a wall for our group. We suddenly started riding 15 kilometres per hour faster, together with Pogacar and his team-mates.”
Naesen does not deny the strength required to finish the job. “After that, Pogi closed the gap himself,” he says, but the conditions of the chase, in his view, were far from neutral. “It was incredible how they pulled us along with the motorbikes.”
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A race that wasn’t working behind
That moment came in a part of the race where cooperation had already broken down. Naesen found himself in a second peloton alongside Yves Lampaert, in a group that was struggling to organise any meaningful chase. “He was nervous about the cooperation, because there wasn’t really any,” Naesen said.
With the race fragmenting and gaps opening, the arrival of Pogacar from behind was always going to change the dynamic. Naesen, however, felt that change was predictable. “I said: ‘Lampi, Eurosport, France 2… they’ll bring us back in a minute.’ And that’s exactly what happened.”
More than just Pogacar
Naesen’s perspective is shaped by the fact he was present for multiple key moments in the race. “I experienced Wout’s puncture, I saw Pogacar’s bad luck and comeback up close, and I was there again after Arenberg following Mathieu’s delay,” he said, referencing the misfortune that also hit Mathieu van der Poel.
That wider context matters. Paris-Roubaix is built on chaos, where bad luck is part of the equation for everyone. But Naesen’s argument is that what followed Pogacar’s puncture went beyond that usual unpredictability.
“That’s often race manipulation”
The role of race vehicles has long been debated within the sport, but Naesen’s comments push that discussion into sharper territory. “That’s often the case,” he said when asked whether such situations amount to race manipulation.
For him, the issue is not isolated to Roubaix. “If you look at the Poggio, when Pogacar and the others arrive with five or six seconds at the bottom… I think back to that image where ten motorbikes were riding twenty metres in front of him. That makes the difference between winning and losing.”
It is a view that reframes not just one moment, but a pattern.
Tadej Pogacar at the 2026 Paris-Roubaix
A performance and a question
None of this erases what Pogacar did. To recover from a puncture, navigate the chaos of bike changes and still fight for victory requires a level that very few riders can reach. Naesen himself acknowledged that effort in what he saw up close. But his account introduces a second layer to the story, one that sits alongside the performance rather than replacing it.
In a race decided by margins, the question is not just how Pogacar got back. It is how much the race itself helped him get there. And in Paris-Roubaix, that line is rarely as clear as it looks from the outside.
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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- 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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