No Pogacar or Evenepoel, but this rider impresses Bruyneel: "He is not at the level yet to be like a grand tour contender"

"I think today Pogacar raced the perfect race. If he would have attacked, it would probably have been him and Evenepoel on the Mur de Huy. But he relied on his team for as long as he had guys. I do think that if Pogacar would race like he did today, every single time, he would almost not lose any race." Bruyneel begins.

But the American, who won the Flèche Wallonne himself in 1996, not only praises the performance of the Slovenian rider, but is also impressed by the entire team. "The team was so strong tactically. They did everything right and controlled the race brilliantly. And when you have Pogacar in your team, you know that you will often be rewarded for your work."

Bruyneel, who rode the Belgian hill classic several times, is also impressed by the Slovenian world champion. "I think today Pogacar raced the perfect race. He didn't want to set up a big show or attack from far away and just relied on his team for as long as he had guys, until the last few kilometers. I do think that if Pogacar would race like he did today, he would almost not lose any race."

According to Armstrong, weather may have been the reason why Pogacar waited so long. "It was obviously a terrible day on the bike for the riders. Seeing how some of them were affected by the cold was tough. But when you look at Pogacar, you don't notice how cold he is. He really has everything under control."

But Bruyneel wasn't just impressed by Pogacar; according to the analyst, Remco Evenepoel also raced well. "I've never seen a Flèche Wallonne where there was such a fierce battle for positioning, and Evenepoel was always on point, right up to the final climb. But seeing how good Pogacar still was, despite the cold, it's just impressive."

But there was one rider who impressed even more: Kevin Vauquelin. "He's on a smaller team, but when you see how good he is, he really doesn't belong there. He has a beautiful style on the bike and he could become a really big name. I think the big teams will be lining up for him. I think everyone knows his qualities, even before his results. He is not at the level yet to be like a grand tour contender but I can see him evolving to probably a top 5 contender in the future."

Armstrong also had words of praise for the number three in the Flèche Wallonne. "I think Pidcock has made a very good transition. When you see how he's riding in recent races, it's quite impressive and much better than in previous years. The transition has really done him good, and he's definitely a podium contender for Liège-Bastogne-Liège."