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01:31
+4
15-04-2026 04:46
15-04-2026 01:23
13-04-2026 22:52
+12
13-04-2026 19:03
+6
08-04-2026 10:25
08-04-2026 10:22
+7
07-04-2026 21:03
+8
05-04-2026 22:45
05-04-2026 22:27
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MarkFour
Very wise and mature for any age, much less 19.01:31
+4
MarkFour
Pogačar was pretty gracious in not only doing any work after failing to drop Van Aert in Carrefour de L'Arbre, but appearing to do most of it to keep the twosome clear. He would have a better chance of winning by sitting on Van Aert, even if it meant the group behind rejoined. Bringing MVDP and Laporte back into the mix might have confused things enough that he could steal one last march in the final 15 km. A 2-up sprint with Van Aert was conceding the win, to say nothing of leading it out. That said, I was as thrilled to see Van Aert win as almost every cycling fan was, and how bravely everyone rode such an incredibly demanding epic, honoring themselves and the contest.15-04-2026 04:46
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MarkFour
These are all really terrific ideas.15-04-2026 01:23
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MarkFour
An absolutely amazing ride. I can't recall anyone ever chasing back into contention like that after an early mishap in Arenberg. He never quit.13-04-2026 22:52
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MarkFour
I thought it was pretty cool that Pogačar continued to help Van Aert after Carrefour de L'Arbre, taking what looked like more than half the pulls to the velodrome. If he raced the way many commentators suggest his competitors race against him, he would have stopped working with Van Aert, and forced Van Aert to pull all of the remaining 16 km to the velodrome to at least improve his odds in a 2-man sprint. Even allowing the group behind with LaPorte to rejoin would probably improve his chances of a win with a sneaky attack, or more complex sprint--to say nothing of allowing the race's strong man VDP a crack a the win. Instead, Pogacar put in his attack on Carrefour, and when he couldn't dislodge Van Aert, he towed the Belgian to his well-deserved and emotional victory. I personally love the positive racing from this new generation of superstars. They play their cards, and if it doesn't work out, they don't begrudge the winner his spoils. Even though MVDP was probably the strongest, and a Pog win would have been historic, it's so great to see Van Aert take this after all he has been through. Many of his fellow racers seemed to feel the same way.13-04-2026 19:03
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MarkFour
Horner is always really angry when Pogacar wins. He actually has some very good insights and race tactics. But my guess is the reason no one has asked him to ride in a team car is his bitterness and negativity.08-04-2026 10:25
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MarkFour
Yes, I am saying MVDP (and his father) may not want to win by joining Pogacar and wheel sucking all the way to the line precisely because he didn't like it when Colbrelli refused to pull in Paris-Roubaix. No one will ever talk about what a terrific victory that was, though it's Colbrelli's name in the history books. MVDP covered the attack, took shorter and easier pulls, and hoped he could match Pogacar on the last two climbs. He did his best. The only other option is to ride with someone behind to share the load in coming back to Pogacar. The guy behind was Remco. I think together they would have caught him, as Pogacar looked really tired and had done a ton of work.08-04-2026 10:22
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MarkFour
One of Mathieu's indelible memories must be when he was denied his first victory in Paris-Roubaix by Sonny Colbrelli. Colbrelli refused to contribute, instead saving himself to match MVDP's accelerations on the cobbles, and banking on winning the sprint against a diminished and frustrated favorite. He did get the victory, but it will hardly go down as one of the bold exploits of a great champion. The new generation of superstars seem to race for their own chances, rather than against any one particular rider. I think the sport is better for it. The people who claim to be bored by Pogacar will always find something to be bitter about. That said, a path to a potential victory would have been for MVDP to drop back to ride with Remco, who was on an unbelievable day. Despite conceding time on the climbs, he held the front two on a short leash for a long time, even as they benefited from a huge draft behind the lead motorcycles riding side by side. I think riding together they might have overhauled Pogacar on the flats after the last climb. But it would be a weird tactic. That said, the race was brilliant. Five of the 6 or 7 strongest one-day riders in the world finished alone, exhausted, and in perfect order.07-04-2026 21:03
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MarkFour
That was a really impressive and composed performance from Remco.05-04-2026 22:45
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MarkFour
This was really smart. Pogacar worked quite hard to keep Evenepoel off, even though it looked like he was about to make contact on a couple of occasions. If he dropped Remco and MVDP together, it looked like they might be able to collaborate to bring him back on the flats before the finale. As it was, it was quite amazing to see all five superhumans in the race finish solo, and in perfect order. Any one of the five would be a worthy winner in almost any other era of cycling.05-04-2026 22:27