Tadej Pogacar defends rival Wout van Aert after Dwars door Vlaanderen disappointment, warns of social media 'cancer'
Published 05/04/2025 at 18:48 GMT+1
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Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates–XRG) defended his Visma-Lease a Bike peer Wout van Aert, after the latter suffered a hugely disappointing finish to Dwars door Vlaanderen earlier in the week. Van Aert mistimed his finish, leading to a debilitating cramp that allowed Neilson Powless to claim victory. Pogacar said that he expected Van Aert to be ready for Sunday's Tour of Flanders.
'What on earth have we just seen!' - Van Aert and Visma stunned by Powless
Video credit: TNT Sports
Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates–XRG) defended rival Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) after the Belgian came in for heavy criticism.
The 30-year-old looked set to win the Dwars door Vlaanderen event in midweek, but a misjudged attempt at a sprint finish saw him cramp up, allowing Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost) to claim the victory.
As a result, Van Aert was subject to heavy criticism on social media after he and his team appeared to squander a dominant position so close to the finish line.
The 26-year-old Slovenian Pogacar, who has enjoyed a bright start to the season with a win at Strade Bianche and a stage win at the UAE Tour, expressed his sympathy.
"I didn't see it, but I did hear what happened," Pogacar said, reported by cyclinguptodate.com. "That's how it goes in a race. They made a mistake and that can happen. Neilson was also just very strong.
"Wout makes a good impression on me and I think he will be fine for Flanders, which is his big goal. He always manages to find extra energy for the big races and I expect him on Sunday too."
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Pogacar added that the top riders have to deal with the burden of expectation, but did not expect him to be distracted come Sunday’s Tour of Flanders - which is live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
"There is a lot of pressure on us," he continued. "Someone like Wout doesn't ride many races, but when he does, they are big races and the pressure is on him.
"Then he has to perform. With three against one, it is of course also annoying, but on Sunday he won't think about that anymore."
Pogacar suggested that athletes should not spend too much time looking at social media, with the downsides outweighing the positive aspects.
He said: "Social media? That's the cancer of our current society.
"You can spend the whole day on social media and there are certainly positive things about it, but the negative things stand out.
"It can ruin your day and that's really not worth it. You shouldn't give social media and the news – no offence to you guys – too much attention. That's the easiest thing to do."
How to watch the Tour of Flanders 2025
You can watch all the action from the Tour of Flanders 2025 live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
Coverage of the Men's Elite race begins at 09:00 Sunday, April 6 on TNT Sports 1, with the Women's Elite race coverage from 13:45 on TNT Sports 2.
TNT Sports is available across all major TV platforms, offering a line-up of up to four TV channels (TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports 2, TNT Sports 3, TNT Sports 4), and up to six digital or red-button channels (TNT Sports 5 to 10), and TNT Sports Ultimate plus TNT Sports Box Office HD.
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Stream all the top cycling action, including the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana, live and on-demand on TNT Sports and discovery+
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