After his narrow defeat at the Amstel Gold Race, world champion Tadej Pogacar has the chance to rehabilitate on Wednesday. At the Flech Wallonne he could hit Remco Evenepoel back against the competitors.
Last Sunday (April 20, 2025), Tadej Pogacar experienced a very rare moment: he was conquered. Didn’t have enough strength in the final of the Amstel Gold Race to survive in the sprint against his two escape fellow Mattias Skjelmosis and Remco Evenepoel. At the end of an enormously exhausting race, the Dane Skjelmosis was extremely thin in front of the world champion and even.
Pogacar had actually done it as always: in the first part of the day was well hidden in the main field, had left the field around 40 kilometers before the finish, left his fellow rider Julian Alaphilippe and looked for his luck in a solo ride towards the goal. Usually Pogacar uses such scenarios for safe solo wins.
“I’m tired” – Pogacar consoles himself with sponsor beer
This time, however, Skjelmose and Evenepoel came up from behind, drove up and actually snatched the victory that has already been safely woken up to the success -spoiled dominator.
Human world champion: Tadej Pogacar
“I’m tired” Pogacar said at the target of the Amstel Gold Race and emptied half a liter of beer from the sponsor at the press conference. “I thought I could win in solo. But the two pursuers were very strong”.
In the world of the “Normal mortal” arrived
Tadej Pogacar has arrived at the world of spring racing drivers that are currently ongoing. Maybe you can describe it in such a way that the 26-year-old is happening. The current world champion, who is actually a tour of the tour and goes to every Tour de France as a top favorite, has – quite brave – to the spring classics.
Pogacar not only wants to underpin his status as the world’s best cycling professional – he wants to do the classic hunters who almost do a different sport as a tour of a tour of a tour, it proves that he is the best on every terrain. After all, he had always won when he really wanted to.
Defeated twice by van der Poel
This spring things are going a little differently. At the beginning of March, Pogacar won the Strade Bianche and later the Flanders Tour. But he was also one of the losers a few times. Milan-Sanremo (winner van der Poel) only third, Paris-Roubaix second (winner van der Poel), now second in the Amstel Gold Race (winner Skjelmosis).
After the Amstel, the Walloon arrow and next Sunday (27.04.2025) Liège-Bastogne-Liège are coming on Wednesday (April 23, 2025). It is the three classics of Arden, who actually wanted to win Pogacar this time. After the opening loss, he will start all the more sharply at the “Flech Wallonne” on Wednesday.
“Mur von Huy” as a legendary increase in target
The race is indispensable for classic fans, if only because of the “Wall of Huy”, which is one of eleven climbs in the race and will be conquered this time three times. The most important passage of this approximately 750 meter long steep climb will be at the very end, because the destination is on the “Mur” in front of the church in the small town of Huy.
The competitors will be the same as last. Remco Evenepoel, of course, the Olympic champion. Mattias Skjelmosis, the winner of Sunday, will be there. But also Thibau Nys, the young up -and -coming Belgian, whom many see many as secret favorites in the “Flech”.
Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe – “are not satisfied”
The drivers of the German team Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe are hardly among the winners. For the team of chief Ralph Denk, the classic season is growing through to put it carefully. In the past eight weeks, not a single top result was driven out in the past eight weeks. “We are not where we wanted to be”said to Paris-Roubaix on April 13th.
So far disappointing – Maxim van Gils
The team actually thought that in autumn he was increasing with a whole handful of classic specialists. Above all, the Belgian Maxim van Gils, which one had left from the Belgian Lotto team, should provide good results.
Van Gils hardly seen so far
That didn’t work at all. Van Gils started well in February, but was hardly visible among the classics in which he had put top results last year (Flech Wallonne third, Strade Bianche third, Liège-Bastogne-Liège fourth, Milan-Sanremo seventh). At the Amstel Gold Race, he didn’t even finish the finish line.
“We saw some good young people with very good approaches, but of course that’s not enough for us”says think. “We want the top team in terms of tours and one-day classics. Maybe we also have to strengthen ourselves with one or the other experienced classic driver.”
Despite his non -flawless record, Pogacar is one of them. But think doesn’t get it.