Foreign newspapers critical: Pogacar's rivals 'afraid to burn their wings' and 'Evenepoel drowned on La Redoute'

A head-to-head duel between Remco Evenepoel and Pogacar never materialized. "Everything unfolded exactly as we had feared," wrote L’Équipe. The French newspaper saw the Slovenian follow the same script as last year. On La Redoute, the world champion launched his attack. "Although he said after his win that it wasn’t his intention to attack there, with the natural retreat of everyone around him, there was simply no reason to wait any longer."

"At the top, his lead was still only ten seconds, but this time, unlike in the Amstel Gold Race, it would gradually grow bigger." Giulio Ciccone and Ben Healy finished second and third, but there was no real chase. "Did the chasers even believe for a second that they had a chance? When the rainbow jersey started his move, nobody even tried to jump onto his wheel. They were afraid of burning their wings, a sign of complete surrender."

And Evenepoel? He finished 59th, more than 3 minutes behind Pogacar. "The Belgian drowned on La Redoute, starting the climb from a poor position even before Pogacar had activated his engines," noted the French press. "He was then relegated to a third group and gave up at the Roche-aux-Faucons. This is certainly not typical for him and shows just how big the defeat was."

Pogacar’s dominance isn’t always the most entertaining to watch, especially in races where the course allows for a long solo attack. The only real tension this spring came in the Flemish classics. "It made us realize just how exciting the entire classics campaign had been and that was largely thanks to Mathieu van der Poel. The Dutchman consistently managed to contain and challenge the world champion, even in defeat."

Even La Gazzetta dello Sport noticed that Pogacar initially seemed to want to wait. "But in the end, instinct took over. And maybe even his sharp instincts sensed that Remco Evenepoel wasn’t feeling good and that the rest of the group was already anticipating an attack. And so it happened. When Pogacar took off, still seated in the saddle, it was immediately clear to everyone that there would be no race. No massive acceleration, just a constant tempo. Game over."

The Spanish newspaper AS pointed out Remco Evenepoel’s absence from the battle, mainly blaming his positioning. "Aside from the obvious and typical superiority of the Slovenian, there was no real competition. When it mattered most, Remco showed an unexpected weakness. At the foot of La Redoute, he was sitting at the back of the group and couldn’t even see Pogi’s move from a distance."

Many newspapers saw Evenepoel as having no chance, but Marca still believed there was an opportunity for the Belgian after La Redoute. "The first salvo would, as always, come at La Redoute. If Remco took the lead on the flat section and managed to hold it, then you would have a real race. If not, the race would be over. If he managed to get back onto Pogacar’s wheel, the second blow would come on the Roche-aux-Faucons, still 13 kilometers from the finish."

So it was almost an inevitable result. The Spanish newspaper is convinced that Pogacar is rewriting history. "Tadej Pogacar is destined to top the list of the greatest cyclists in history. We are witnessing a rider determined to define an era in cycling, one where everything will be measured as 'before' and 'after' Pogacar."