Tom Boonen plays down controversy surrounding Tadej Pogacar's Amstel Gold Race victory: "As long as cars and motorcycles are allowed in the race, there will always be moments where a rider can take advantage"

Whilst many such as EF Education-EasyPost's Jonathan Vaughters were quick to criticise the controversial slipstream boost given to Tadej Pogacar at the Amstel Gold Race, Tom Boonen disagrees it was a big deal.

"What happened in the Amstel is over," Classics legend Boonen told Sporza's Wielerclub Wattage podcast. "But as long as cars and motorcycles are allowed in the race, there will always be moments where a rider can take advantage. Such incidents are therefore typical of the race. Although it had no impact on the result in the Amstel Gold Race."

In fact, it was not the controversial positioning of Leo van Vliet's race director's car in the finale of the race that irked Boonen and the rest of the Wielerclub Wattage podcast members. That moment came when Pogacar required a bike change at a vital moment and was subsequently helped back into the front of the race by a UAE Team Emirates team car.

"The team car of UAE Team Emirates was driving just behind the leading group at that time, while that is not allowed at all," Dirk De Wolf comments. "At that moment the lead was 20 to 25 seconds," contrary to what UCI rules state as a gap big enough for a car to come between groups. "It is only because that was Tadej Pogacar that the car was allowed to continue. That would not happen with a less good rider."