The Moment Liège-Bastogne-Liège Was Won

117 thoughts on “The Moment Liège-Bastogne-Liège Was Won”

1. Nice write up. Thanks. What a great race that was. Up too early for my own good on the Pacific coast of Canada shocked to see the time gap. I thought: they finally have collaborated against UAE. I guess not.

   Those few minutes on the Redoute climb were something. And at moments when Pogacar was on the pedals Seixas was still seated.

   A small thought: I kept wondering: if Seixas hadn’t ridden the Flèche Wallone, would he have had more energy?

   • I think there was time to recover since Wednesday, the win would also have been affirming for him and the team too. But that’s it for him now, he started at Strade, aimed to peak for the Basque Country and Ardennes. He hasn’t been to altitude this time but seems convinced by it so that’s probably the next destination after his short vacation.

2. how an earth did you write this so quickly?
   the race only just finished?
   maybe you predicted most of what happened!

   • Punching the keyboard is quick. Slowest part is waiting for the photos to accompany the piece to go online.

     • Too quick, even, when your brain says “wrote” and your fingers write “route”.
       Classic bilingual issues, not just switching a letter on the keyboard but a whole phonetic block across linguistic boundaries.
       😉

     • Speech-to-text software is even quicker.

3. I wasn’t following the action at the time… how and (more importantly) why did Remco get in the big break?

   • Just seen his own answer.

     “I don’t actually know what happened, to be honest. I was 30th and suddenly discovered that there was a gap. I didn’t work with anyone to be in a break so it was really an accident. I didn’t really give very much to be honest, it was just an accident.”

     Oh well…

4. I was really hoping and crossed everything I could, but alas…

   But what an impact and impression this young man has made the last months. I can totally see the point about giving him a break and easing the pressure by keeping him out of the Tour this year, but wow, what a breath of fresh air.

   He embodies in so many ways exactly what cycling needs right now.

   • I agree with everything. Such a pity, but Seixas will have his chance.

     Tobias Halland told Danish TV that it seems like Seixas is gaining about 10 watts of power with each race, so we can guess where this is going, even seen from the riders…. 😉

5. Seixas did what pretty much nobody has been able to do for 3 years and match a Pogacar attack up a short steep hill in the finale of a bike race. The moment got him as excited as everyone else, it was immediately obvious over the top he was pulling too often, too long and too hard. Van Aert showed what to do in Roubaix, whether it would have made any difference on Roche aux Faucons I suppose we’ll never know. All excusable for a 19 year old of course, and you have to presume his time will come. He’s going to be under a lot of expectation at the Tour now when realistically any position in the top 10 would be a success, and anything outside it perfectly acceptable for someone his age.

   • Seixas made Pogacar doubt. A refreshing change on his favoured terrain.

   • I was wondering when was the last time when Pogacar attacks to drop everyone and someone manage to stay with him. Ayuso at the Worlds last year ? But he exploded minutes later and I’m not sure Pogacar went all out to the top, it was further from the finish. Or we have to come back to MvdP in the Ronde he won ? Or Vingegaard, I don’t remember when… 2023 ? Lapeira in Québec last year, but Pogacar was not in the same shape…

     • Milan-Sanremo

   • As the Belgian TV commentary said, he secured second place by pulling along. I don’t think he could have outsprinted Tadej even if he had been able to hang on by the gums of his teeth on Roche aux Faucons if he hadn’t shared the pulls. But there was certainly a chance he would have been caught by the chasers behind if he had less of a cushion after being dropped.
     Apart from this, the kid is 19, as he said himself, he was watching this on TV last year and this was his debut. Tactical misstep or failed bluff or signal he’s not afraid, whatever it was, it’s totally fine.

6. Good writeup man. Didnt know your site until today. Will be checking in from now on. Greetings from Spain.

   • you’re in for a treat this is the best cycling website online in this language at least.

     • +1

       • +1

         • +1

     • +1 from me too

7. I had the impression Pogi eased a little exactly when Seixas was about to crack on the Redoute, but maybe he had also finished gas and simply didn’t want to take any risk. But couldn’t listen to interviews, this time, assuming anybody would say the truth, so really dunno.

   • Was very funny Seixas pulling face but instantly smiled when Pog turned his head.

8. I don’t think I’ve ever cheered for a French cyclist—or any French athlete—as much as I did for Seixas today. What a rider, and what an impact he might have…

   • Was amazing, but I’m definitely looking forward to seven years in the future when those in love now are bored by Seixas winning!

     I’m very hopeful we get a battle for the ages between Seixas and Pog for the coming few years before then though. It’s very exciting.

     • LOL, well at least I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we don’t end up like we did with Pog.

       In an ideal world, a few more riders from the big nations—Lipowitz, Pellizzari, Ayuso, Riccitello, and others—would keep improving to the point where they could mount a genuine GC challenge alongside Pog, Vingo, Remco, and Seixas.

       So I can dream, but in reality yes, I know…

9. If Seixas rides the TdF his team will surely provide seven as direct support. That can’t include Kooij who moved from Visma partly to get a Tour start with a dedicated lead out. He’ll be disappointed.

   • Decathlon has made use of the new option to skip a WT race and is one of four teams that have decided to sit out Romandy.

     It might be part of the puzzle they’re trying to solve regarding who, what, and how for the Giro and Tour.

     • Interesting – I hadn’t even caught on that was an option. Must be a pretty new UCI rule?

       • Yes, new for this year. The idea is to save some teams at busy points in the season or spare them from long travel although Romandie is almost next to Decathlon’s team HQ. They could field a good team without Seixas, Bisiaux is only just 21 and finished 12th day.

         • According to Danish media, Decathlon officially stated it was due to logistical issues in preparing for the Bulgarian Giro start, but during the LBL broadcast there were hints it might also have been a case of “pog-avoidance.” It does seem odd that so many teams skipped TdR this year.

         • I wonder if it’s a combination of the possibility of a cold and miserable race with little chance to win, or it’s more about where it sits in the calendar.

         • #The Other Craig

           Probably a combination, and with so little on offer for the sprinters, many teams might have simply thought, “meh.”

         • Thanks! I’ve really missed this. Not sure what it means for the future, but some of the marginal WT races could definitely take a hit if this catches on.
           Looking at the list of participants, there are 14 WT teams plus Tudor. Shouldn’t that open up slots for other pro teams?

         • “open up slots for other pro teams…”

           At a one-day race this would be true. At one-week stage races, it costs a lot to host an extra team, so many race organisers are happy to cut their costs and have a smaller peloton. Romandie is struggling financially.

         • The race is having some financial issues but aren’t most of them? Reading between the lines it’s got shortages but has a big war chest to survive a lean year or two but needs some political support. With the same area hosting the women’s Tour and being the home of the UCI it’s probably ok but we’ll see.

           The annual nice spring with sunshine at Roubaix but guaranteed winter return at Romandie… is off with sunshine expected for most of the days.

         • Yes, I agree, many races are struggling financially, and always have. But of the “big-seven” one week stage races, Romandie is the only one really struggling. ASO own Paris-Nice, Dauphine and Catalunya while RCS own Tirreno, meaning all these races are well funded. There is a lot of political support for Itzulia, and it is doing well financially.

           This leaves the two Swiss races. Flanders Classics have taken control of the Tour de Suisse (and many people feel it has been butchered). Romandie survives on a knife-edge and there is talk of the race not going ahead next year if it can’t attract new sponsorship. (I would hope ASO steps in if this happens).

         • @Ryan, @John – this is a summary of how the rule works.

           A team can only skip one WT race per year.

           They can only skip a race once in any three year period, i.e. these teams can’t select Romandie in 2027 or 2028. Grand tours and monuments are not allowed to be skipped.

           Skip races must be nominated by 10 December before the season starts.

           A maximum of four teams can skip a race. If more than four teams nominate a race, the lowest four teams on the previous year’s ranking get their choice and the other teams have 15 days to re-nominate a different race.

           The race is required to invite extra ProTeams to replace any WT teams that skip the race.

           ——–

           Above is a summary of the rules, here’s a couple of points more along the lines of analysis:

           – Romandie is the fifth race of the year to have at least one team skip it, previous races were Paris-Nice (Bahrain), Volta Catalunya (Picnic), Ronde van Brugge (Red Bull, Visma), Itzulia (Jayco, NSN).

           – Romandie must be *very* unpopular with teams. Not only is it the first race to have the maximum of four WorldTeams skip it, two of the three ProTeams with automatic invites to all WorldTour races did not accept their invitations and none of the ProTeams invited to replace the missing WorldTeams decided to accept.

           – Once Romandie is done, 10 of the 18 WorldTeams will have used their skip for this year. We can probably assume that the Tour of Guanxi will also get maximum non-attendance but the other four might be spread out.

           – Along with four teams skipping the race, EF and NSN are facing fines for starting an incomplete team unless they can convince the commissaires there is a good reason.

         • @DaveRides
           Nice summing up. I’ve read somewhere that the race was actually unhappy with the timing, as apparently the teams or part of them didn’t respect the deadline and the UCI accepted such a situation, although it prevented organisers (according to them) from doing a better job with invites. Does anybody as any specific info confirming or denying the above?

         • DaveRides: Very nice explanation of the rules.

           WT races can have up to 25 teams. The big one-day races typically have the full 25 teams at their races. This was true last year for Omloop, E3 Harelbeke, Gent-Wevelgem, Amstel Gold, Fleche, Bretagne Classic and other races.

           World Tour stage races typically have 22-23 teams at their races since inviting teams is expensive (more hotel rooms, each for a week, and the like). Last year for example: Paris-Nice (22 teams), Dauphine (22), Suisse (22), Pologne (22), Renewi Tour (23). Tirreno, Catalunya, Basque get more since they invite all the Pro-teams from their country (which also helps generate local interest).

           Last year, Romandie only got 20 teams, and this year is down to 15 teams. This is much less than is typical for a one-week stage race. I suggest that Romandie is happy to go without more Pro-teams since they are financially struggling and can save a lot of money (e.g. ?-50 thousand euros per team is my guess). The race organisers themselves have said they are short of sponsorship money this year, and are concerned about whether they will be able to run the race next year.

         • I found this on CF:

           “Organizers may fill the freed-up spots with extra wildcards for ProTeams, but you don’t do that. Why?
           – Because financially we were a bit tight following the loss of a very important sponsor. We did invite Tudor, and honestly: if I’d known three months ago that four teams would use their joker, I might have invited another team. But it was too late by then, though we did try.”

           So, the money issue is clear. I can’t really get the “if I’d known three months ago” part, as the deadline to declare you’ll skip a WT race was nearly 5 months ago, but I guess maybe the UCI didn’t give notice to Romandie’s organisers before the very end of January?

   • that’s a good point

   • We’ll see with Kooij, a project for the team to start winning quickly as they waited for Seixas to bloom. If he can recover start the Tour it can work for all as it puts some of the focus on Kooij in the opening week.

     • As Patrick Broe often points out, the best way to regularly have good results is to have a sprinter. As amazing as Seixas is (the great French [/Portuguese?] hope!), it would be risky to the point of malpractice to pin all your hopes on a 19-year-old in a grand tour. On the other hand, my God he looks strong.

     • A Decathlon comestique declared in belgian podcast the the team have the explicit goal to win the maillot vert with Kooij, apparently this is even included in Kooij’s contract some way or other. I can imagine they line up Seixas at the grand départ this year with only one or two support riders while nominally going for the maillot vert with Kooij and a decend lead-out but for future years this will be hard to repeat if Seixas continues his development along the same trajectory.

       • Yes, I agree. Given the Seixas isn’t going to be in the mix to win the Tour de France, he really only needs one-or-two domestics to look after him. This leaves plenty of riders to support Kooij.

         • Assuming he’s not in the mix, Pog is conceivably out of reach given his exceptional w/kg numbers and almost inhuman restitution, but the rest?

           Vingo is clearly #2, but even considering his brilliant ’26 so far, he still has to tackle the Giro first. And honestly, he just doesn’t have Pog’s restitution, so I don’t think he’ll be anywhere close to Pog come July. Seixas could easily be on par with him. And the rest? I don’t see Remco, Lipo or any other being close to an in-form Seixas.

           So that leaves Pog. And just one crash or (unlikely) off-day.

         • The thing that has set the Tour apart in recent years is that it has been ridden unbelievably hard almost every day, so it’s really unlikely for a situation like Del Toro’s 2025 Giro to happen. If Seixas is able to stay competitive in this year’s Tour, it would mean that he is on a level never seen before at his age.

10. It may or may not be interesting to note that whilst Pogacar has been phenomenally, unprecedentedly dominant in big one day races (/road cycling in general), of the last 5 monuments the person next to him on the podium has been different each time – Evenepoel, Pidcock, MvdP, WVA, Seixas. So, you could conclude that outwith Pogacar’s other worldly-ness cycling at the top level is as varied and interesting as it always was. I’m not sure where I am going with this observation, and it is based on MvdP having by his standards a fairly lacklustre spring following a worlds that didn’t suit him at all. But we have mentioned or discussed a ‘Pogacar-effect’ lately, and I think it is real. As good as Seixas undoubtedly is and will become I would be amazed if his final career palmares matches or even gets particularly close to Pogacar’s.

    • That’s a lot to ask. But he’s been top-10 as a junior in cobbled classics and cyclo-champ in France so there’s range and also motivation too, he wants to ride the Tour but at some point Roubaix and the Ronde, making him different to, say, Vingegaard or Froome.

      • We will also have to see if Seixas is good at the flatter classics, even if he is interested in the races. I suspect he may be competent, but as Inner Ring says, being as good as Pogacar in these races is a lot to ask.

        • Seixas’ weight is reportedly 130 lbs (59 kg). That seems awfully light for a cobbles racer, but undoubtedly he can add a few more lbs of muscle as he matures and if he wants to.
          Doesn’t Pogacar add some kg for the spring 1-day races?
          FWIW, wikipedia claims Pog is 146 lbs (66kg), and I think his Grand Tour weight is a bit lighter.

          • I think that’s around his average for a season. Probably 2-3kg heavier for the classics and 2-3 kg lighter for GTs

          • Pogi has gone on record to state that he is 66kg for the classics, and 63-64kg for the Tour.

          • I consider that Pogi was probably around 68 kg or over this year. As John says, he was 66 in previous seasons but his trainer underscored in an interview that this year he had worked a lot on the gym to put more muscle on for the Classics, also suggesting that it was going to be a special challenge to go down again for the TDF. The above implies that this Spring he weighed more, and notably so, which is also consistent with official power data and opinions by other athletes who saw him live and closely; otherwise, I doubt that going down 3-4 kgs as usual in several previous seasons would have been deemed especially challenging, just as I doubt that Pogi could just put on significantly more lean mass than he had before without his total weight going up a bit – not much fat to shed, frankly.

          • Gabriele:

            Pogi told the Belgian press three weeks ago that currently he is 66kg. Of course, he might not be telling the truth. Or he could have more muscle and less fat than previous years, which Inner Ring has stated before.

          • @John, are you aware of how improbable is that he really has “more muscle and less fat”? I.e., how much muscle do you need to put on in order to notice a significant change in the nature of your performance, and how little fat a rider like him has to shed?

            “5 Pounds of Raw Muscle: How Pogačar Bulks for the Cobbles and Cuts for the Climbs” (Velo – April 8, 2026)

            “The biggest change for Tadej this year was his schedule,” UAE training co-ordinator Jeroen Swart said late last year.
            “We focused first on gaining muscle mass because one-day races require more explosiveness,” Swart said. “He didn’t lose weight, and did more strength work. And he started his mountain sessions later in the season.”
            Riders stay seated on even the steepest cobbles to prevent their rear wheel skipping beneath them.
            Winning attacks on greasy cobblestones are made in the saddle. They call on massive pelvic stability and titanic torque through the psoas and hips.
            That’s why Sola, Swart, and Pogačar hooked up with Alexandre Bacilli, the PT of the Monaco elite.
            The assignment? Core strength and explosive force.
            The result? A few extra kilos but an oversized impact on race-breaking power.
            “He has improved significantly compared to last year,” Pogačar’s nutritionist Gorka Prieto last week told L’Equipe. “Weight naturally increases with strength training, but we don’t set a specific number; we focus on the power-to-weight ratio.”
            […]
            “We can’t really focus on one specific part of the body,” Prieto said. “He needs to be lean, with a low body fat percentage, but still strong enough to stay healthy and recover after training.”

            —–
            —–

            He used to turn the 1-2 kg of fat he can gain *during winter* into muscle, but it’s not like you can compare him in Spring form 2025 to 2026 and say “he’s put on more muscles but he’s switched them for fat”.

            I read he was saying again 66 kgs this year but that’s not consistent with him saying the same in previous years. Of course, maybe he was declaring a higher weight previously. He’s never been very consistent on the subject through interviews.

11. ‘ Pogačar cruised along the banks of the Meuse and pointed skywards, reportedly in tribute to his partner’s mother who died four years ago.’

    And he was wearing a black armband for his erstwhile team mate Cristian, who died this week from an infection resulting from a crash….

    In the midst of life…..

    • I wasn’t sure about this moment with reports attributing the commemoration to Zigart’s mother, to young rider Milan Bral who died this weekend after a driver hit him, or this but not hearing first hand quotes attributed to Pogačar himself. May edit the piece above to reflect a correct version of events.

      • The team attributed it to Cristian Munoz at any rate, whatever Pogacar himself intended. https://x.com/TeamEmiratesUAE/status/2048402414458257473

12. For me the telling moment of Seixas’ experience was on the podium. Yes, he had a baseball cap, but he was also wearing the salty jersey from the race and his hair was a mess when they played the national anthem of Slovenia. At the same time both Pogi and Remco we’re all clean and fresh looking. Probably something for the Decathlon team to start adding to their finish-line kit and training. Regardless, I can’t imagine what it would be like to be at this young age, sharing a podium with the Rainbow jersey and the double Olympic winner. This is a lovely chapter in the book of cycling.

    • Great spot, I didn’t notice this – my tv gave out a few kms from close – it’s a shame that Decathlon are basically on trial with every race for Seixas’ continued involvement! They’re going to have to be near perfect at the Tour to avoid criticism, it’s ironic that they’re vying with UAE it seems when the teams around Pog at the same time in his career and for the early years weren’t close to what they have become.

      If Decathlon lose a Tour for Seixas we’ll never hear the end of it, when there’s a pretty decent argument that UAE at least had some kind of impact on Pog’s losses to Jonas, particularly on the Granon.

13. Once again a good review!
    Pogacar got fined 5,000 Swiss Francs for some podium mistake but otherwise the day went as hoped for UAE.
    I know all of France wants Seixas to do the Tour, but I’m still doubtful. Let him have a go at the Vuelta first to see how it goes over 3 weeks at WT level.

    • The mysterious fine, for “wrong place of the publicity on the world champion jersey during the award ceremony”, was later removed.

      In 1977, 22-year old Hinault won Liège and the Dauphiné, and Guimard didn’t let him ride the Tour. Seixas will this year, for sure.

      • @Bananito, thanks for clearing that up. I looked for a long tme at that podium and could not for the life of me find any wrongly placed publicity. Really a strange fine, happy it apparently was a mistake in some way.
        I say this as a former commissaire who has twice spent a day checking jerseys for the WC. But the UCI could have change some rules since last, it has been a while 😊

        • Reportedly, it was a matter of mm in the alignment or dimensions of the UAE logo on the WC jerseys. Apparently, the team defended it was the very same format as in previous podia this season and an agreement was reached.

          • The podium jersey he got (temporarily) fined for has big logos for the sponsors that displace the rainbow bands down from the chest towards the waist and also logos on the sleeves. Unlike national champions’ jerseys there are strict guidelines for the rainbow jersey’s look.

          • @INRNG, I tried but i cannot for the life of me find the difference between his racing kit and podium kit. Following the “UCI Jersey Visual Guidelines” it appears as if the arc-en-ciel stribes are slightly lower placed (on both kits) than depicted in the guide. But, as this jersey must be UCI-approved, I assume that has been accepted.
            Anyways, weird decision to fine, though, I am aware the UCI are very protective of their “rainbow”.
            Weirdly enough, I could buy one to wear now if I so wanted.
            For those iterested, theguide is here: https://downloads.ctfassets.net/761l7gh5x5an/4LXQmaBRcTBbKNfeeMoSCL/724ee6af0e678507e14e3e4168de5713/2025_UCI_JERSEY_guidelines_5.3-light.pdf

14. Excellent write up as usual. Thanks. I am really hoping that this isnt Seixas’ top limit, he has been living like a pro (monk) since he was a Junior, there aren’t going to be many new tricks for him to learn as he ‘settles’ into the top tier.

    Only a month ago Pidcock followed Tadej and didn’t get dropped, MSR is a different beast, I am aware of that, now Seixas follows as well on what we all say is Tadej’s preferred terrain. I know he still wins but its moving the suspense along further into the finale, good to see more riders adopting the do not lose that wheel mentality (Remco could learn a lot!) What’s nice is that each of his wins this year feels different and fresh, no mean feat as we are in his 3rd year of playing with the other riders for fun. Imagine if we go through the year and the only blemish on his result sheet is 2nd at Roubaix!

    • I agree with you that Seixas is developed in terms of training and tactics. He will likely physically develop a little in the next few years, and become a little stronger. Of course, he may also physically fill-out a bit too (which could affect his climbing). I guess we will have to wait-and-see.

15. I just had a look at what a typical Portugese breakfast is comprised of … and it looks all wrong for a cyclist!

16. Probably a minority view but this was just the same old procession with a few interesting bits thrown in. The podium was exactly as predicted. Break went, break caught, Tadej Pogacer rode away and won. Sorry but its dull. Clearly there must be optimism that we might see a change in the near future (though slightly longer view is back to the same with a new cast). Not sure it would have made any odds in the end but Paul Seixas perhaps needs some lessons in race craft from Wout van Aert (for me the moment I thought Paris Roubaix was won was when Tadej Pogacer looked around at Wout van Aert for a turn and there was a shake of the head and a grin) but sure that will come. He does seem to be improving at a frightening rate though, there must be some seeds of doubt being planted in TP’s mind. I guess the Tour will be too soon especially with the media storm that will erupt (assuming he rides and I cant see how he wont but perhaps better if he didnt) but maybe Il Lombadia?

17. On the point about the attention and coverage that Seixas will get if he enters the Tour. In sporting terms, he may be looking across to Pogi, but in terms of dealing with attention and pressure, he may well look at Remco for the standard.

    Belgium is surely the only other country on earth that would hype and put pressure on its cycling stars in the way France would in the Tour. And for all that some people perceive Remco has throwing temper tantrums on the bike, it has to be admired how he keeps putting in performance after performance and, to my mind, retaining his own character off it. A world class rider and character.

    I sometimes compare Remco to, say Wayne Rooney’s role (bear with me) in English football. Probably no country in the world puts the pressure on a footballer the English do. That he didn’t turn out to be quite as good as Ronaldo or Messi was held against him, unreasonably, and buried the fact that year after year he turned out world class performances and nearly broke all the records he could. Remco seems to suffer by comparison Pogi, but he need not.

    Seixas may need to make his own peace with unjust comparisons. Or perhaps he won’t. Excited to see.

    • This is a good take JV – similar to how I see it – reminds us all that you firstly have to grab success when it comes, whatever your age, and savour it!

      Bernal will never win another Tour, so thankfully he took his chance and I hope looks back with pride, same with likely Tao GH and Jai Hindley at the Giro (JH impresses me even more that he seemingly missed his chance then returned to grab a second!)

      Roglic missed his TDF but has a mountain of victories to take into retirement and should look back fondly especially with the cash from his RB transfer. Remco won LBL twice young but unless there’s some luck it’s going to be hard for him to win it again, especially with any regularity, so I envisage him likely looking back at the Paris Olympics as his pinnacle and thankfully he’ll always have that golden summer as coming by Grand Tour wins from here on out is going to be very tough – a few one days, perhaps a Flanders/another LBL and maybe a Giro but that’s all without a lot of luck. An exceptional career still even if front loaded.

      Admittedly he’ll also have a lot of real gold to sit on as he seems to have pulled a Froome and made his transfer at the exact right time to cash in as surely his value would have plummeted next year having seen what we’ve all seen this year.

      Same with Pidcock also, a perfectly timed transfer to cash in before the reality of his limits were too obvious to deny.

      I can’t think of any of those riders who won’t end their career thinking they get the most out of their talent and bank balance which is quite refreshing as sport often ends in disappointment and missed opportunities.

      Rooney missing out on winning the Euro’s in ‘04 when he was at his peak was such a shame but hopefully the riches that followed help him sleep at night.

      It’s obvious Seixas has to ride the Tour this year now especially as if Pog or Jonas have issues there’s a real chance (despite no one yet knowing if he can last three weeks) he might be in the running for the win. Nobody knows the future so you have to take your chances when you’re at the level he is.

      • I like this. It’s uncovered a point behind my point I’d not really thought of. It wasn’t so much that Remco’s career was front-loaded (though in hindsight we may look at it like that). But actually each year he delivers results that would make a complete career for any other high quality rider. We sometimes lose sight of that. Two Monument podiums and an Amstel win already this year.

        Pick any other year where he “loses out” and he’s likely to have won at least one Grand Tour stage, podiumed at a Monument and picked up numerous other “minor” wins and medals. And likely some TT rainbow bands! Incredible.

        My point really was that he keeps delivering all this (and he may do for years, he is still very young), but his racing is often framed as some relative failure to meet the expectations of, the pressure from, his fans/Belgian media/social media commentators. How to do this may be as valuable lesson for Seixas as anything sporting he can do against Pog.

        I loved Euro 2004. What a summer. I seem to remember a classic clash between the Czech Republic and Netherlands.

        • I don’t tend to think of Evenepoel as having underachieved. You could maybe argue he has never achieved the level of 3 week consistency required to be a dominant GC rider, he always seems to have a bad day in him. And his bad days are bad. I see him, along with Van Aert and Pedersen, as being unlucky to have coincided with Pogacar and to a degree MvdP, and each other. If neither, or even just one, of those (depending a bit on whether you are talking about WVA/Pedersen or Remco) had not been around they all would have incredible Palmares comparable to any one day rider in modern times.

          • I would argue it’s not “to a degree MvdP,” but that he’s nearly as impactful as Pogi when it comes to palmares. If he didn’t exist it’s hard to imagine how differently we would think about Wout and Pedersen. Sagan must thank his lucky stars that his career happened when it did.

          • I think WVA is closer to MVDP than some people think, but agree he is not quite there – they are different kinds of rider.

            There are a lot of seconds and thirds in monuments, Olympics and Worlds, but he has 15 grand tour stage wins and a lot of them are doozies (double-Ventoux, Champs-Elysses x 2, Strade Bianche stage of the Giro, the stage he won in yellow in the North of France).

            But it is also his work for teammates, I can think of Roglic in Paris-Nice, Vingegaard in the Tour and Simon Yates in the Giro which made a material difference to the GC in each case.

            I think peak van Aert in 21-22 was amazing to watch. Maybe analagous Federer who ultimately had worse career stats than Nadal and Djokovic.

          • Totally agree paddy. I think he gets underrated because he’s so selfless, which is why he’s my favorite rider.

      • I wonder if at some points after his accident Bernal should have decided, quite surprisingly, to focus more on one-day racing. The obvious reason for a “no” is that he’s not very explosive and never was (well, same as Nibali…), plus his GC talent is so obvious that he gets pushed in that direction. Yet, with not that much one-day racing in his record (which implies not many occasions and not much experience either), he tends to perform at a very steady high level, with an impressive collection of top-10s in hilly Classics (not cobbles of course). As for Monuments, he’s raced 6, mainly Lombardias and a couple of LBL: his worst result is 21st! But, even more impressive, the second worst is just 13rd, at his first ever Monument with Androni being 20 yo. As I said, in other hilly Classics his skills are confirmed, although he only won a Gran Piemonte. Any team interested in points should absolutely try to hire him and have him race a lot of those, although I guess that the wage is an issue ^___^

        • He’s a marvellous bike handler too, his record at Strade is good, and in similar stages in grand tours. He’s perhaps hindered by a team that is institutionally biased towards stage racing.

          But anyway, each year I think this is the year he’ll podium again at a Grand Tour. I hope it’s this year at the Giro. Or he is given some flexibility to go for a stage.

          • My great worry is that although his power and endurance may well be back where they were before the accident, he no longer recovers from hard days during a GT as well he did. That will almost certainly cost him the podium finish that could otherwise be his

        • I remember watching a Trofeo Laigueglia, I think it was 2021, and being really impressed by Bernal’s tactical savvy.

      • Dave, don’t you think that Pidcock’s market value would have been raised by last September’s Vuelta and this March’s Sanremo?
        Generally speaking, I fail to see any negative chasm between his Ineos results *on the road* and his current ones. If I was a third and different team, with equal results I’d be more willing to pay a good contract to an athlete coming from a Pro Tean than from Ineos, as I’d suspect the latter might be on team support etc.
        I read a wild report once about him earning 8-9 millions a year, same as Pogi, but I never saw that confirmed by other sources. That would be crazy, indeed.
        Anything around half of that or less doesn’t seem so absurd to me. You don’t have many athletes around who can push Pogi to the line, and get more than once some podium in GTs and Monuments.
        Which is the reason why I doubt anybody is regretting having hired Remco.
        No matter what you’d expect, now being an albeit low-chance contender and multiple times race winner (when the big dogs aren’t around) is a rare condition, so those athletes are looked for and paid correspondingly although their palmarés is bound to stay slimmer than expected some years ago.
        The alternative? Athletes who win even *less* and whose *even more occasional* victories or podia are even less repeatable through different seasons.
        That’s why the market, hiring, training is focussing with a crazy speculation on younger and younger kids, because the mere dream appears more solid than a harsh reality where a handful of winners take all.

        • I think it all depends on your expectations.

          There was a time when Pidcock spoke of winning the TDF and I’d argue despite this becoming a remote possibility toward the end of his Ineos days, there was still a small possibility given new surroundings he might kick on.

          We already knew he might push the best in one day races and suspected high places at some stage races but two years ago there was a chance he might do even more.

          I’m sure his agent would’ve used this argument in securing his next contract.

          Fast forward to ‘26, I’d now argue negotiating a contract for Pidcock and arguing he might land you a grand tour wouldn’t hold any water despite the Vuelta podium, as to me that result should the limit of his talent not future possibility.

          So I’d say with a market that is weighted toward youth and possibility, despite great results since, Pidcock’s value has plateaued and I suspect he’d get less negotiating in ‘26 than he did ‘24.

          I may be wrong though! I do not know what he earns or how contracts are even made, I’m just saying what I feel from hearing many in the business talking about the focus on youth in the current market and what I see of Pidcock.

          None of this is to denigrate him, his achievements are stellar and he should be happy, but I think in ‘26 you’re getting an occasional one day race winner and a top10 grand tour rider whereas in ‘24 you were hoping to get that with the possibility of more. I’m sure his team weren’t silly and expected to get what they have (as I do think moving showed Pidcock letting some TDF ambitions go) but still his potential has diminished in my eyes despite great results.

          • Ten years ago a much broader variety of riders had the chance to win at different races throughout the calendar. Now, based on who’s there, you’re generally looking at three or fewer possible winners, especially at the big races. I know Sagan was dominant, and Sky was penciled in to win the Tour every year, but fewer races were a foregone conclusion. All that is to say that the criteria for success has changed and that a possible podium in a monument or gt is worth paying a king’s ransom for. It also means that the potential that Seixas is showing will make his price tag astronomical, as there are so few riders (Del Toro already fading in significance) who show the potential to do what he’s already doing.

          • TDF… what?! Oh geez the media must have blown his mind back then.

            At his best while at INEOS, he never was able to break the final top 5, let alone podiuming, in the final GC of *any* of the smaller stage races which normally give hints about a rider GT potential (and he started like a dozen of those, finishing half, so it’s not lack of elements).

            And even his results before becoming a pro weren’t took as meaningful by those following U23 cycling because the important stage races he took home happened to have poor competition in those editions.

            As far as I know, nobody in the cycling milieu ever looked at him as a proper TDF contender – I’d be hugely surprised if anybody ever signed any contract with him based on such a misjudgement.

            I’m not a believer in PCS points, but last year was his best season ever so far.

          • I actually think Pidcock has achieved more than I expected at Q36.5, and I suspect many others share my view. Pidcock, in my opinion, has been worth his salary at his new team (much to my surprise). Rob Hatch duing the commentary said he thought Pidcock had matured and comes across much better in interviews than when he was at INEOS, and this is something I noticed too.

          • I agree John – just want to emphasise I think he’s achieved a lot and is a brilliant rider.

    • Evenepoel was on a podcast over the winter – can’t remember which one, think it was in French – and was asked about Seixas because he’s seen a lot of this. If anything he’s had even more attention because while Seixas is gathering interest the French media and public really get interested in cycling for the Tour, while Evenepoel is news in Flanders just if he puts a sponsor photo on Instagram or uploads a training ride to Strava, this becomes an article in several newspapers/websites etc. So you can imagine the treatment he gets in the media for finishing “only” 5th in Catalunya or the amount of discussions about whether he’s a grand tour contender that stray into personal issues. Pogačar is also quoted as having said to Decathlon management something like “you must take care of him [Seixas]”.

      • Pogacar also said that apparently to the media after Liege…as in “don’t ruin him with your pressure and pestering”…I can’t recall where i read that.

18. I thought that Tadej pointing to the sky was a dedication to his former teammate Cristian Camilo Munoz who died the day before after a crash at tour du Jura last week.

19. With Almeida’s unclear health issues, UAE’s 2026 looks more and more akin to Jumbo’s 2024.

    (However, History has no need to repeat itself, of course – it quite enjoys surprising turns, if anything.)

    • However, UAE boasts an impressive lineup of 19-23s—Pericas, Arrieta, Morgado, Christen, Torres, and more—so they’ll probably be just fine.

20. This is a freakshow and people still believe it’s down to nutrition and better quipment. What change since last year that the average speed in LBL improved by more than 2 kmh?

    2026 Liege-Bastogne-Liege | #LBL26

    ⛰️ COTE DE LA REDOUTE (1.51 km, 10.20 %, 154 m)

    — 3:45
    — 24.16 Kph
    — VAM 2464 m/h

    — 8.85 W/kg (est.) | Pogacar “66 kg”, “37 % drafting”
    — 8.75 W/kg (est.) | Seixas “64 kg”, “100 % drafting”

    • We talk about doping here all the time.

      We all know it exists and the likelihood- don’t assume we’re all just dumb and ignoring it.

      Theres no curtain to be raised for die hard fans writing on a niche cycling blog. We just choose to wait for categoric proof and till then enjoy what we see rather than live in misery.

      If the misery comes with proof we will all say what a shame but the signs were there. If it doesn’t we will keep watching hoping that’s not the case. What else can we do?

      If you’ve already decided it’s a freak show then stop watching and end the pain. There’s no other way – save yourself the pain.

      • I like this comment. I want to stop watching, but even in a race where it’s over at 70km to go, I still find interest in the nuance of how the top 20 or so unfolds. Sure, I’m grumpy about the victor and wished the races were more exciting, but I just can’t get myself to stop watching entirely. I sometimes wish I was stronger.

      • Very well said.

        And I’d add that my personal but not arbitrary technical evaluation of a cyclist won’t change much due to any upcoming “proof” on this subject – just perhaps, in case a whole picture of how a system was at work should ever surface. And very often not even in that case, because my opinion normally includes some expectation about those aspects. Generally confirmed during the last 30 years or so.

      • +1. Succinct and expressive of the feelings of this long time reader and multi-decade fan of the sport.

      • Very well said, oldDAVE. You’ve helped me enjoy the moment a bit more.

      • Well said. We all know it is a possibility that the riders are doping. But we also know that there is no actual evidence of any wrong-doing (except going fast, which isn’t really evidence). Until some credible evidence turns up, we will enjoy the racing, give the riders the benefit of the doubt, and hope that they really are clean.

      • +1

        Also wonder how the peculiar aspects of yesterday’s race influenced average speed, eg was the first half much much faster because of the unexpected Remco breakaway?

        • Wasn’t there’s tailwind in the first half?

    • Seixas said he was getting blurry vision from staying with Pogačar.

      Before I had my lovely new lightweight aero bike, I once had the same happen on a climb one hot summer’s day, so I stopped for an ice cream at the top. Better nutrition, and all that.

      • What the cameras don’t reveal is the extent to which these young athletes push their bodies. At that level (and can be even in amateur situations) it really is a 100% mental effort. The body’s ability to function at periods of very high stress is for me the real beauty of this sport. There are no time-outs in such make-or-break situations, even in arrière du peloton.

        • I remember talking to some high-level research sports scientists about this. They pointed out they could have 2 top athletes, they (sports scientists in general) could measure every possible physiological marker (lactate thresholds, VO₂ uptake, haemoglobin mass and blood volume, power, torque, etc., etc.), and find them all essentially identical, and yet one athlete will do better in competition than the other in tests that /ought/ to be decided on physiology. Indeed, sometimes they (sports science generally) find an athlete who outperforms others, despite not having the highest ‘scores’ on the measurable markers.

          So it is clear a significant component of performance is in the head. There are papers on this “Mental governor”. There are systems in the brain that exist to protect you from the risks of over-exertion, to prevent you damaging yourself by making you pull back from the “edge”. Small variations in those systems are thought to be an explanation for differences in otherwise physiologically identical (so far as we can tell) athletes.

          • Mark Cavendish

      • Gd show. At least it wasn’t because you were afraid of the descent and needed someone to catch up so you could follow.

    • Scientific and medical advances have been extraordinary over the last 5-10 years. Shedding excess weight legally has never been easier, data availability/analysis tools have ballooned exponentially. Why cheat when you can get the same benefit legally?

      • Maybe. We’ll see what happens with the upcoming “Enhanced Games” and how their performances stack up.

    • You can always give a try to watching marathons, in that case it’s “better shoes”. And better nutrition, of course. Carbo, carbo, carbo.

    • “What change since last year”? Well, nobody actually knows of course, but if you’re talking about La Redoute (since you put up those numbers) somebody matching him pedal stroke for pedal stroke for the entire climb could do it. Pog didn’t have to work so hard last year. If you’re talking about the race, a big break with a heavy favorite opening the show could do it. And last year after La Redoute, it was a solo break, with no one to help. Also, there’s a lot of individual variability of course, but most cyclists peak in their late 20s. It would not be a surprise if Pog is still improving, and Seixas … impossible to see his ceiling from here.

      • It’s hard to imagine the limit. In ’24 Pogacar pulled off an incredible 8.2 W/kg on La Redoute, but this year he pushed it to 8.7 W/kg. Almost beyond belief.

        • Thomas

          Comparable to Pog’s 7 W/kg for 40 minutes on PdB in ’24. If those were his ’24 capacities, he might go beyond 7 W/kg on the longer Tour climbs this year. Especially if he has to crack Seixas, Vingo and Remco at the same time.

21. Rightfully, a lot of comment about the young Seixas and his potential. But I thought I’d put in a quick word for another Frenchman, Benoit Cosnefroy. He had an excellent Ardennes campaign, 3rd, 3rd and 4th and then the launchpad for Pogacar’s victory here. I had missed the news of his transfer to UAE but it’s certainly had an effect on him, good to see him grabbing his opportunities when he can.

22. Why would anyone hope for a new superhuman to dominate the sport already at 19? Go Skjellmose etc.

23. It’s amusing that in the podium photo Pogacar still looks the youngest of the three.

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