"We all need to stop leading the race when Van der Poel and Pogacar are there" - Tiesj Benoot casts warning on classics rivals

Racing the cobbled classics is, currently, less and less a matter of tactics, but rather power. Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogacar have become such great dominators of the spring classics that it's become hard for anyone to even come close, and Tiesj Benoot argues that other riders should stop collaborating with the two in the critical moments of the race in order to stand a chance.

Benoot is a rider that has never finished on the podium of a monument, however has finished seven times in the Top10 - only at the Tour of Flanders and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. The Belgian wants to achieve more strong results, but admits that it's hard to imagine a victory in one of these races.

"I wouldn't call it a dream. Of course, I still have ambitions, but I also know that it won't change my life drastically," he said in words to In de Leiderstrui. "What I personally really enjoy is riding the finales of those races. Being able to play your part on those biggest days. For me, everything has to come together to win". Perhaps in the 2010's he stood bigger chances, but at this point in time, these two races are dominated by two riders who are head and shoulders above the rest.

"Now that Pogacar has started riding the Classics and Van der Poel has taken a big step, it's almost become a utopia for many riders. But something can happen to them, and of course, they don't ride everything. A Tour of Flanders has been made so difficult that tactics no longer play a role. UAE is also very strong."

But the former Visma rider does not see this as a big puzzle, and points out a clear change that he believes the rivals of the 'big two' should do in order to even stand a chance of fighting for the victory in the big one-dar races. "We all need to stop leading the race when Van der Poel and Pogacar are there. I don't understand that. In my opinion, that's racing for second place: if you even start helping them".

The two have won every monument in 2025, whilst only at Milano-Sanremo did the winner not cross the line by himself. Sanremo in itself has also become a monument for the puncheurs, even with climbers making the switch and putting it on its schedule as it looks obvious that UAE Team Emirates - XRG will continue to decide the race on the Cipressa. In 2026, few expect any other rider to be able to win a monument.

However if there is a collective acceptance early on after Pogacar or van der Poel attack that the win is not up for grabs, it can make the fight for podium positions more tactical, which could benefit Benoot. "That's partly true, because sometimes you also have the opposite effect. By that I mean: Pogacar starts to attack, and behind him, there's a race for second and third place. That's how it has been in Liège-Bastogne-Liège the past two years, where we were riding for the podium in a large group," he gave the example. "In 2024, Van der Poel reached the top of the Roche-aux-Faucons about a minute after me, then came back through the headwind and finished third".