The image of Tadej Pogacar showing his frustration in the Tour of Flanders sprint was one of the photographs that have gone around the world in the last days after the Slovenian was left without a prize despite being one of the great protagonists of the race.
Pogacar’s anger came because Dylan Van Baarle would have prevented him from advancing when launching the sprint in search of a victory that Mathieu Van der Poel finally achieved before a Pogacar visibly upset by what happened.
The other protagonist of this episode, Dylan Van Baarle stopped by the Laurens Ten Dam podcast to reveal the Slovenian’s sportsmanship outside of racing. “He wrote to me and said ‘I’m sorry, but I was frustrated and wanted to get on the podium’. He didn’t have my number, but he sent it to me on Instagram. It was very nice”.
The Dutchman also recounted how he experienced this incident after the race. “He thought I had gone off course and shut him down on purpose. But possibly it was that he was frustrated that he messed up. I think he was the first one he saw after crossing the finish line.”
A version that Pogacar himself confirmed after the race through a statement. “After the race I was not happy because I had not been able to sprint and they closed me, but I know that in cycling sometimes it can happen. Sometimes you have a free path and other times you have to find space. I’m not mad at anyone, just frustrated with myself.”