And that, it seems, is that. Tadej Pogačar is back on top. The glimpse of humanity we saw from the bike rider so often described as ‘alien’ when he was chased down during Sunday’s Amstel Gold Race were dispelled with one, swashbuckling, seated acceleration on the Mur de Huy. The world champion’s winning attack in Wednesday’s Flèche Wallonne finale was so effortlessly smooth, he didn’t even need to glance back to see if anyone was on his wheel. Pogačar knew that no one would be able to follow those fluid, powerful pedal strokes that were carrying him to the 94th victory of his career. This is what he does.
The moment came with 550 metres remaining of the 1.2 kilometre climb – still early by Mur de Huy standards, but what else would we expect from Tadej Pogačar? In those 550 metres, the Slovenian rider opened up a gap of 10 seconds to his nearest challengers, the biggest winning margin in Flèche Wallonne since 2003. In modern cycling, people can’t usually attack that early on the Mur and hold on to the finish, but, as we all know by now, there are no rules in the Pogačar era of bike racing.
Behind him, they rode a more traditional race: Tom Pidcock played things patiently for Q36.5, watching and waiting before igniting his move in the final throes of the climb which earned him a respectable third place. Kévin Vauquelin of Arkéa-B&B Hotels was sandwiched between Pogačar and Pidcock, second at Flèche Wallonne for the second year in a row, just holding off the British rider who was coming at him quickly when the finish line approached. Both knew, however, that any chance of a win had gone out of the window as soon as they saw Pogačar’s rainbows disappearing up the steep gradients a few moments before.
And what of Remco Evenepoel, who looked to be the strongest rider in the race at Amstel Gold last weekend? The Soudal-Quick Step rider executed a solid showing – he was on the wheel of Pogačar on the descent before the Mur de Huy, alert at the potential of long-range surprise move from the UAE Team Emirates rider, but he could not answer Pogačar’s explosivity when it mattered. In the end, the 25-year-old would settle for ninth place, and would be left wondering if there was a way he could have played things differently. Should he have waited until the Mur, knowing what Pogačar can do on this sort of terrain? Could he have put his rival under pressure earlier in this race?
These are questions that will be asked ahead of Liège-Bastogne-Liège on Sunday, the crowning jewel of the Ardennes week. All races in this trio of hilly Classics matter, but La Doyenne (the oldest Monument in the sport) carries the most prestige, and the most difficulty. Both Evenepoel and Pogačar have staked their claim on this race in the past – the Belgian rider won both the 2023 and 2024 editions with long solo attacks, while Pogačar took the spoils both last season and in 2021. The race comes at the end of a period of learning: each rider has watched the other perform throughout both Amstel and Flèche, and they will take this knowledge with them to the weekend. Evenepoel, it has become clear, is fresh after a period away from the peloton due to injury and can perform deep into the races. But Pogačar, as he showed on the Mur, has a punch and finishing kick that is unmatchable at its best.
In some ways, Pogačar’s victory at Flèche Wallonne could be seen as normal order being restored in the peloton – the best bike rider in the world is back winning again in his usual dominant style. On the other hand, Liège-Bastogne-Liège is an entirely different race; the terrain is tougher and it is unlikely to all come down to the final climb for the winning move to be made. UAE Team Emirates will take confidence from their performance on Wednesday – especially considering Jan Christen’s breathtakingly impressive lead out into the Mur – but this doesn’t mean Pogačar is guaranteed the same success this weekend.
The world champion has raced for ten more days than Evenepoel this season already and in the biggest, toughest Classics on the calendar which are hard on the body and the mind. His Belgian rival is fresh and hungry for success with only three race days in the legs and a serious point to prove. The final round of the Ardennes week is upon us, and it’s still all to play for.
