“I don’t remember exactly what Pogacar said to me,” said Van Baarle in the podcast Live Slow Ride Fast of former cyclist Laurens Ten Dam. “He thought I had deviated from my line and locked him up on purpose, but he was probably frustrated that he screwed up himself. I was probably the first one he met after the finish.”
Pogacar drove to the finish in Oudenaarde together with Mathieu van der Poel. The two rivals mainly looked at each other on the last straight to the finish, causing the pace to drop. As a result, Van Baarle and Frenchman Valentin Madouas were still able to join. Just then, Van der Poel started the sprint. The Dutchman crossed the finish line first, followed by Van Baarle and Madouas. Pogacar had to settle for fourth place. He showed his frustrations in word and gesture.
The next day he texted me right away. ‘Sorry, but I was frustrated and I wish you the podium,’ he wrote,” said Van Baarle. ,,He doesn’t have my number, but sent via Instagram. That was really cool.”
Watch the sprint in the Tour of Flanders again here:
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