"They again spent a significant amount of energy" - Tadej Pogacar bounces off Visma's echelons raid
Cycling
Stage 9 turned out to provide more spectacle than the completely flat profile would have suggested. Much of it was thanks to Alpecin duo Rickaert-Van der Poel who tried to upset the sprinters, but also GC guys had stay attentive when Visma | Lease a Bike made a courageous attempt to deal a blow to Tadej Pogacar on crosswinds.
"Tadej was quite isolated in the final after Wellens had to drop back and could not regain contact," saw ex-pro Tom Danielson in his X analysis. The Slovenian was never entirely alone, but the support of his teammates was rather mental than actually visible: "Soler found Tadej a few times as did Narvaez, but Tadej had to do much of the positioning on his own."
Luckily for UAE Team Emirates - XRG, this negligence didn't come costly as no major crashes struck the peloton. And in addition, Pogacar seems comfortable enough to take care of himself in key moments:
"Despite this he visibly moved with ease and seemed calm in the chaotic situation. Without teammates he had to do 'the washing machine' on his own, moving up the peloton on the wind side. While this takes more energy it is the safe bet so he cannot be 'guttered' if a team attacks."
Tadej Pogacar continues strongly in the yellow jersey
With the legs the world champion displayed today, Pogacar couldn't be dropped anyways. "You could see he had wicked legs as he moved around easily while the peloton was splitting behind. Aside from seeing his strength, it also was evident how key Wellens is to Tadej’s operation."
Visma adds pressure:
UAE DS Joxean Matxin suggested yesterday that Visma | Lease a Bike's strategy to wear out Tadej Pogacar is a futile attempt, but it doesn't seem like the Dutch has any plans to stop. In stage 9, they were again seen at the front of action when echelons became a possible threat. Pogacar could not be bothered, but some of his teammates were indeed caught out.
"Visma again attacked the stage continuing their streak of aggression. Despite Wout tweeting he was doing the sprint, he was caught out by their attack and had to use a lot of energy chasing back as he was not with them. Kinda strange they attacked without him there as Tadej was right behind them. They again spent a significant amount of energy that in the end achieved little other than making it so Wout had no legs to do the final sprint."
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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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