Here's a bold statement: the cycling world is witnessing a tactical standoff that could redefine how races are won. But here's where it gets controversial—should riders continue to pace at the front when superstars like Tadej Pogačar and Mathieu van der Poel are in the mix? Classics specialist Tiesj Benoot certainly doesn’t think so. In a recent call to action, Benoot urged his fellow riders to stop “racing for second” by setting the pace while these two giants of the sport sit back and reap the benefits.
Benoot, a seasoned one-day racer with 31 Monument starts under his belt, has witnessed firsthand the dominance of Pogačar and Van der Poel in races like the Tour of Flanders, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and Il Lombardia. And this is the part most people miss—he argues that their presence has turned races into a tactical utopia for some, where the difficulty of the course overshadows strategy. Yet, he reminds us, even the greatest riders can falter, and they don’t compete in every event.
After his high-profile move to the well-funded French team Decathlon, Benoot is poised to lead the charge against Pogačar and Van der Poel this spring. His solution? A simple yet radical idea: “We all have to stop riding at the front when Van der Poel and Pogačar are there,” he declared. “It’s like racing for second place—why help them dominate?”
This season, Benoot plans to test his tactics in races like the E3 Saxo Classic and Liège, even skipping Strade Bianche—where he claimed his biggest win—to focus on altitude training. Winless since Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne in 2023, he’s hungry for glory with his new team. “I want to reach my peak, but I also want to win—and if I do, it’ll be a race to remember,” he said. It all comes down to timing: “It has to click.”
Here’s the controversial question: Is Benoot’s strategy a game-changer, or is it too risky to ignore the pace-setting role in such high-stakes races? Let’s spark a debate—do you agree with his approach, or is there a better way to challenge the dominance of Pogačar and Van der Poel? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
