"You really need someone like that. Someone who goes to the jury" - Wout Poels praises Tadej Pogacar as patron of the peloton following Tre Valli Varesine drama

Having been in the professional peloton since 2006, Wout Poels has seen a lot of big name riders come and go over the years. In 2024, Tadej Pogacar is unquestionably the biggest name, and Poels is happy to see him using his status to help his fellow riders.

At the recent Tre Valli Varesine, heavy downpours beat down on the riders throughout the day as they attempted to traverse through the puddles and stay upright. Ultimately, with over 100km to go, it was decided conditions were too bad as the riders headed back into their respective team buses, thanks in part to Pogacar himself refusing to ride any further and speaking to race commissaires.

"There was really no stopping it. There was some discussion in the group app of the riders' union, but I knew we would just start. That really made no sense. I've never had so much rain on my bike," recalls Poels on the podcast In Koers, praising the newly crowned world champion for using his status as peloton patron for the good of the riders. "Pogacar wasn't really in the mood. I really have to give him kudos, because you really need someone like that. Someone who goes to the jury and says: 'Well, greetings."'

A few days later, Pogacar was again the talk of the cycling world as he blitzed the field at Il Lombardia to add a second monument victory to his incredible palmares in 2024. "It was just plain old nonsense again. It's really bizarre. If you look at those statistics... Really outstanding," Poels recaps, barely able to contain his laughter of sheer amazement.

"I really suffered... After the Ghisallo I was still there, but by then I was already a bit down. Then we came to that last climb. I didn't know where I was, so to speak. I was suffering so much. Then you have to get to the finish, because there is no shortcut. I did finish it, I thought that was quite a challenge," he concludes. "Then you see how Pogacar wins. Then you really think: 'Should I give that bike back and stop, or am I going to try again for a year?"'