"I genuinely feel pretty shit because of it."

Good morning,

These are today's quotes and interviews worth your time.

Stood out to me today: "The youngest winner in the history of La Flèche — I just care that I won. My age doesn't interest me."

¡Vamos!

🎤 INTERESTING INTERVIEWS

"I genuinely feel pretty shit because of it."

Tom Pidcock on getting dropped, winning anyway, and riding toward Liège-Bastogne-Liège

Tom Pidcock won stage three of the Tour of the Alps on Wednesday, but the more interesting story is what it took to get there. After crashing into a ravine at the Volta a Catalunya and spending eleven days off the bike, he arrived in Innsbruck having described his opening day as "the worst feeling I can ever remember having on a bike." A day later, he lost seven minutes on the first mountain-top finish.

On the day of his win, the same pattern returned. "On the first climb I was basically dropped, but I just made it over the top," as reported by In De Leiderstrui. He regrouped, told his teammates they would go full gas after the second climb, and delivered. He started his sprint early, probably too early, but it didn't matter.

What came across most clearly was his grip on the mental side. Asked how he manages to fight for a win after getting dropped, Pidcock didn't reach for bravado: "In recent races I was one of the strongest men in the field and in genuinely great form. With that form, a day like today would have been relatively straightforward — but now I was suffering and nearly got dropped on the first climb. It's difficult to switch and still find any enjoyment in it. It's not comfortable, but that's exactly what makes it more satisfying to see it through."

On what it actually feels like to be that far off his level: "Ten days off the bike might not feel like a long time to a normal person, but I genuinely feel pretty shit because of it. It was simply too long a period." Then, almost immediately: "On the other hand, all the pressure is off now. I just have to enjoy it and whatever comes out of it, comes out of it."

Liège-Bastogne-Liège is still on the schedule for Sunday. Pidcock was candid about what's realistic: "I never expected to genuinely compete for the win at Liège, but I was hoping to be good enough to score some UCI points for the team. That matters too, even if I'd rather be going for the win."

"Tadej is, in many ways, an artist."

David Herrero on the biomechanics behind Tadej Pogačar's position

The question seems obvious from the couch: why does Tadej Pogačar sit so upright compared to riders like Mathieu van der Poel? The answer, as bici.pro found out by speaking to David Herrero, head of biomechanics at UAE Team Emirates-XRG, is that the question itself is slightly wrong.

"What you see on TV can be misleading," Herrero explained. "A position that appears less aerodynamic is not necessarily slower. In Tadej's case, a slightly more open torso improves breathing efficiency and supports better power output, especially in variable race conditions. The goal is to achieve the minimum aerodynamic drag for a given power output — not the lowest position at all costs." Being lower, he added, doesn't always mean being faster: it's possible to reduce drag but lose more power than you gain.

The 165mm cranks and narrower handlebar are part of the same logic. Shorter cranks reduce hip closure at the top of the pedal stroke, enabling a more efficient position without compromising breathing. The saddle angle, tilted sharply nose-down, is connected too: "Saddle position influences pelvic rotation, which in turn affects torso angle, hip closure, and force application. A more forward saddle can help maintain an efficient hip angle, allowing the rider to stay stable and produce power even with a relatively open torso." Everything is calibrated as a system, validated over years of wind tunnel data, motion capture, and on-bike performance metrics.

As for Pogačar's role in that process: "Tadej is, in many ways, an artist. He has an exceptional awareness of his own body and a very refined sensitivity to the changes he wants to explore on the bike. He actively proposes new directions." Herrero described the relationship as collaborative. Pogačar brings the sensory feedback; the performance staff translates it into measurable results. "There is trust, but also constant validation through performance."

"He will get that sixth gear."

Serge Pauwels on Wout van Aert's next goal: the world championship in Montreal

Wout van Aert has already confirmed his interest in the road world championship in Montreal, and Belgian national coach Serge Pauwels is not hiding his ambitions either. Speaking to WielerFlits, Pauwels connected Van Aert's Paris-Roubaix win directly to a shift in how he races: "The key factor was that he dared to take control of the race himself. Even in the sprint he went on his own terms. That is often what leads to success for him — not reacting to others, but making the race himself, forcing it open, and trusting his own strength."

The week before Roubaix, Pauwels rode with Van Aert and gave him one clear piece of advice: "If there's one thing you can do, it's force something yourself when the moment comes. Don't wait too obviously for Tadej Pogačar or Mathieu van der Poel." Van Aert followed through.

Pauwels sees the win as a turning point that extends beyond race tactics. "I am certain this will change a lot. Not just in how he races, but also in building his program. In recent years he sometimes left Milano-Sanremo, Strade Bianche, and this year the E3 Saxo Classic on the table. I think in the coming years he won't need to make those choices anymore. He's liberated now."

On Montreal specifically, the argument rests on one key variable: the Vuelta a España. "We all know that, when he comes out of a Grand Tour, it makes him genuinely better. He will get that sixth gear." Van Aert was second in Montreal once before. He skipped the worlds in Rwanda after Pauwels made multiple attempts to convince him, but sent a clear signal at the time: "I absolutely want to go to Canada — it's been in my head." Pauwels is confident that message has only grown stronger since April.

🏆 THE SERGE BAGUET AWARD

Not awarded today

Wonder what The Serge Baguet Award is all about? Check it out here.

💬 QUICK QUOTES

"I have been a team manager for 25 years, but this is the best rider I have ever worked with. Romain Bardet gave me goosebumps back then, but I have never seen anything like this myself. This was a masterclass, pure class." — Julien Jurdie, Decathlon CMA CGM sports director, at the team bus in Huy after Paul Seixas won La Flèche Wallonne on his Ardennes debut, CyclingNews

"Yeah, it's incredible, it's a massive win. I keep telling myself — last year I was watching this race on TV, and this year I show up and win it on my first attempt. It's truly incredible." — Paul Seixas on winning La Flèche Wallonne, Cyclism'Actu TV

"The youngest winner in the history of La Flèche — I just care that I won. My age doesn't interest me." — Paul Seixas after winning La Flèche Wallonne, Cycling Pro Net

"I am impressed. He is incredibly strong. Winning La Flèche Wallonne on your debut — I don't think many riders have done that before him. Even Tadej (Pogačar) needed a few attempts. This is very promising." — Mauro Schmid, runner-up at La Flèche Wallonne, Het Nieuwsblad

"We were not sure if I would even start the race today. Things did not go so smoothly after my crash in Basque two weeks ago." — Ben Tulett, who finished third at La Flèche Wallonne after missing Amstel Gold Race following a crash at the Tour du Pays Basque, Cyclism'Actu TV

"Paul controlled things like a boss, and showed he was the strongest. Hats off to him. He's just like Tadej — a physically strong climber who can shine on different kinds of terrain." — Benoît Cosnefroy, after finishing fourth at La Flèche Wallonne and comparing winner Paul Seixas to his teammate Tadej Pogačar, In De Leiderstrui

"I didn't look back again — only just before the finish line. I saw Puck (Pieterse) coming and thought: oh my god, I have to squeeze out one more sprint." — Demi Vollering, who revealed she only looked back once during her winning attack at La Flèche Wallonne Femmes, WielerFlits

"What was I thinking? Ouch. When you start the Mur de Huy, you know it's going to be the four hardest minutes of the season. I went full gas, but I had to settle into my own pace fairly quickly. Demi did the same — and her pace turned out to be just a little bit higher." — Puck Pieterse, runner-up at La Flèche Wallonne Femmes, at the post-race press conference, In De Leiderstrui

"The race plan was not built around me. I was really excited about riding for Mavi. Mavi is in great shape, but sometimes it is just not your day, and I am so grateful to her — she was completely honest about it. The moment she saw me further up the road and realized I was going well, she did not hesitate for a second. She just told me to go, that we were racing for me." — Paula Blasi, after finishing third at La Flèche Wallonne Femmes following a mid-race switch that handed her the leadership role from teammate Mavi Garcia, Cycling Pro Net

"Yeah. Definitely not happy. I mean, I was really bummed with the last climb because I got stuck on the big chain ring, and then I had to just, like, power through the climb. Couldn't shift on the small one for some reason. So, yeah, not ideal." — Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney, who finished fourth at La Flèche Wallonne Femmes after suffering a mechanical on the race-deciding Mur de Huy ascent, Cycling Pro Net

"It's a good result, but I did better in the past. So it's a bit of mixed feelings. I'm used to doing better, but that's a couple of years ago. So actually, a fifth place is a good result. What did not go well? I couldn't go faster. That did not go well." — Anna van der Breggen, seven-time La Flèche Wallonne Femmes winner, finishing fifth at this year's edition, Cycling Pro Net

"I am so proud of how I rode. All day I was well positioned in the right groups, but the last five kilometers were one too many — I made it to the finish line and that was the main goal." — Sandrine Tas, former speed skater who placed fourth at the Winter Olympics two months earlier, finishing 57th on her road racing debut at La Flèche Wallonne Femmes despite suffering cramps in the final kilometer, HLN

"I am probably happier about today than I was about the win — maybe that sounds a bit over the top, but I probably needed a confirmation like this, and I got it." — Tommaso Dati, after finishing second to Tom Pidcock in the stage three sprint at the Tour of the Alps, a result he described as more meaningful to him psychologically than his own earlier stage win in the same race, Cycling Pro Net

"Unfortunately, Lorenzo Finn was involved in a mass crash right after the start of today's Stage 3 of the Tour of the Alps. In the heavy crash, he suffered a broken wrist," — Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, after 19-year-old Finn — who had been sitting sixth overall — was taken away by ambulance following a 30-rider pileup just 500 meters after the stage 3 start, Domestique

"Jonas at 85% of his form wins the Giro." — Johan Bruyneel, ahead of the Giro d'Italia, framing Jonas Vingegaard's margin over the field as so vast that even a significantly compromised version of the Dane would be enough to win outright, THEMOVE

That's it for today. See you tomorrow 👋

Jay