"UAE just doesn't have it as well under control as Visma" - Tadej Pogacar's TT weakness should raise alarm bells according to Thijs Zonneveld

Tadej Pogacar looked a notable step behind both Remco Evenepoel and Jonas Vingegaard in the stage 4 individual time trial at the 2025 Criterium du Dauphine on Wednesday afternoon. Whilst the Slovenian and the UAE camp have been keen to play down any fears ahead of the Tour de France, Dutch ex-pro turned expert analyst Thijs Zonneveld believes the alarm bells should be ringing.

"A time trial so close to the Tour is the final test. And I think almost all teams approach it that way. Here you test the new equipment, your tactics..." begins Zonneveld's post-stage 4 analysis on his podcast In de Waaier. "Vingegaard hasn't raced for months, and Pogacar has been in great shape for months. But in the time trial, you can see that UAE just doesn't have it as well under control as Visma."

According to Zonneveld, more than just the simple matter of the time loss, the actual shape of Pogacar on the time trial bike is a major cause for concern. "You saw almost the entire time trial, especially in the descents, that he is quite unstable," he notes. "If you sit very far forward, you automatically have less pressure on your rear wheel."

As such, Zonneveld thinks Pogacar was actually quite lucky to not be far worse off. "There was a bump in the fast descent. He went over it and almost lost control of the bike. The entire rear wheel went left to right over the road. You will hit the ground at 90, 95 km/h if he doesn't keep it there," he explains. "This is definitely going to cause stress and doubts. Then you start looking at that bike again."

Post-stage, Pogacar was also spotted picking up and examining a Team Visma | Lease a Bike Cervelo in a curious moment. "He's really checking out that bike: what do they have that we don't? How is that possible? I'm more explosive; I thought I had more absolute power."

Nevertheless, the sight of Pogacar suffering a heavy defeat to Vingegaard and Evenepoel should raise the excitement levels of fans ahead of the 2025 Tour de France says Zonneveld. "That's the best thing for the excitement in the Tour. If it had been the other way around and Pogacar had beaten the other two, we would have had another gala performance. So this is the best scenario to go into the Tour, as far as the time trial is concerned," he concludes.