In the immediate aftermath of Tadej Pogacar's utterly dominant victory at the Amstel Gold Race, much was made of the seeming slipstream boost controversially given to the Slovenian by the car of the race director Leo van Vliet.
Despite his denial of intentionally giving Pogacar any advantage, van Vliet admits the UAE Team Emirates leader was the man he would've cherry-picked as the winner. "We didn't have the strongest field of participants and we all hoped that Pogacar would win," the 67-year-old said much to the shock of analyst Thijs Zonneveld.
"I was lying in bed with leftover fever and I thought I was hallucinating, but unfortunately it wasn't," Zonneveld told the AD podcast In Het Wiel. "Van Vliet rode a pair time trial with Pogacar and they won together. Great, such a duo attack. As if Pogacar still needed that support. I think it's completely outrageous what happened."
"He shouts everywhere he can that Pogacar is the dream winner. As a race director, that is not super smart. He can express his wish, but then stay extra far away from the riders," he continues. "This way you don't run the risk that afterwards someone will shout that you favor a rider. Because this is more than shouting, hoping and wishing. This is just helping him win."
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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