‘Inexplicable’ or ‘nothing wrong’? Tadej Pogacar’s car slip stream at Amstel Gold Race causes debate

Tadej Pogacar does not need help winning bike races.

The two-time Tour de France winner powered clear with 30km remaining and finished comfortably ahead of Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) and Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers).

However, there was a strking moment towards the end of the race when Pogacar appeared to benefit from being in the slip stream of the car of race director Leo van Vliet.

The car went past Pogacar with around 10km remaining and lingered in front of the race leader immediately after overtaking him before moving further ahead.

At the time Healy had closed the gap to Pogacar to 20 seconds but he finished 38 seconds behind at the finishing line.

Race director Van Vliet clarified the situation in an interview after the race.

“It is not true at all [that the car was in front for a kilometre]. Look at the TV images. It didn’t help him. I also raced myself. I can’t imagine that [it offered an advantage].

“Why would it do me any good to do that? We were far enough ahead of him. There’s nothing wrong.”

Van Vliet also pushed back at the idea that Pogacar would have been his preferred winner over Healy.

“Let them say that. I can’t do anything about that,” he said.

Asked about the race car afterwards, Pogacar said: “I don’t like it, but this happens all the time when they are in the head of the race. They pass, they sink back again. That’s how it always goes in the race.

“I can’t do much about it. I can only cycle as fast as possible. The car was too close, but I don’t think the moment lasted too long.”

There were other views.

Eurosport expert Philippe Gilbert had is say while working on commentary, first joking about the situation but then adding that was “not normal”.

“If he stays here, there won’t be any problem,” said a laughing Gilbert on commentary. “He might as well just sit on the passenger seat for few minutes as well.

Before taking a more serious tone and adding: “They are not images we like to see, it’s not exemplary, it’s not fair play. The rider isn’t guilty of anything, but the car has nothing to do here. It’s not normal.”

Brian Cookson, former president of cycling’s governing body the UCI, described the car’s manoeuvre as “inexplicable and unacceptable” on social media.

Jonathan Vaughters, Healy’s team manager at EF Education-EasyPost, was not impressed.

“I mean. COME ON,” he wrote on Twitter.

He then added: “I should say something a bit more productive and mature here: The issue is, we see vehicles changing the race results all the time. Sometimes in our favour, sometimes not. It just gets tiresome. Pog prob would have won in sprint; NOT the point. It just denigrates the racing.”

Another ex-UCI president, Pat McQuaid, also chimed in.

“I have to agree with you Jonathan,” he wrote. “He gave Pog 10 seconds at a critical moment.”

“It doesn’t matter what the reason is, there was no excuse,” said Armstrong.

“By the way, Tadej Pogacar does not need a little draft…they had plenty of room to drive up the road. You should never see that in a race like this.”

Healy didn’t comment about the car but said he was pleased to keep the pressure on Pogacar until the finish.

“I knew I had good legs,” he said. “And I knew I had to ride a smart race to finish second behind Pogacar today. That’s what I did, and it paid off in the end.

“I was second, only to the best rider in the world at the moment, so it was a pretty good day, I think.”