E3 Saxo Classic 2026, March 27

[VanBsr]

Cycling is so weird sometimes. With the exception of a few riders, it seems not losing takes precedence over trying to win.

His fans are also hard to understand. On one hand, we are laughing at the guys today because they lost due to passivity; on the other hand, we are laughing at Pedersen for attacking and taking turns.

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

I think the peloton is so used to racing for 2nd in the last couple of years, they don't know how to do anything else

 

[jono]

Pogacar is gonna kill him. A 45 km solo in coming

He might. But if MVDP has his nose in the wind for more than the final 200m in Oudenaarde he's dumber than we thought. He won't be riding stupidly like today.

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

Mathieu’s best tactical move to let them think he would stop riding. It disrupted the chasers. Happy he takes it but I imagine he wouldn’t have gone so deep after all.

You beat me to it.

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

Pogacar is gonna kill him. A 45 km solo in coming

I was talking about Wevelgem, but yeah, Pog gonna smoke him at Flanders.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

He might. But if MVDP has his nose in the wind for more than the final 200m in Oudenaarde he's dumber than we thought. He won't be riding stupidly like today.

I, too, sometimes wish my memory lasted less than six days.

 

[Didinho]

It’s also that if you pull last to catch him, you maybe can’t react anymore/fast enough to the first attack. And no one knows if they even could attack or who will be the strongest sprinter. Everyone wants to have something left for the sprint.

He also had 3 of the strongest rouleurs from the peloton behind him. The only way possible to catch him again.

 

[jono]

I, too, sometimes wish my memory lasted less than six days.

Sorry, I don't recall van der Poel doing a doomed 70km solo ride in MSR.

As I said, if he's smart he wheelsucks as soon as the action kicks off. Pogacar might drop him, he might not.

He likely will because cycling is dead and he will win everything he cares to.

 

[tobydawq]

In fact I meant it.
And I liked it.

Seriously, I'm not complaining about dying meters of haywire and confusion. I was entertained all the way through.

MvdP looking back, the "fake sit up", playing mind games by looking right in the faces of G2, knewing the front rider would most probably copy with this distance, then pulling a bit, leaving more hesitation behind, gap now just a tad too far for a single jump from G2 with something left for the final sprint.

And then checkmate.

Beautiful.

It was definitely not a fake situp.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Sorry, I don't recall van der Poel doing a doomed 70km solo ride in MSR.

As I said, if he's smart he wheelsucks as soon as the action kicks off. Pogacar might drop him, he might not.

He likely will because cycling is dead and he will win everything he cares to.

But I do recall Van der Poel puting his nose in the wind when he was pretty dead.

 

[tobydawq]

Sorry, I don't recall van der Poel doing a doomed 70km solo ride in MSR.

As I said, if he's smart he wheelsucks as soon as the action kicks off. Pogacar might drop him, he might not.

He likely will because cycling is dead and he will win everything he cares to.

He traded pulls before the Poggio even though he was dying on the Cipressa...

Pride above results.

 

[Netserk]

Hagenes is certainly getting some noticeable second places these days, by the way.

huh

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

They were that close to suckling on the teat of greatness, but decided instead to poop on the pile of mediocrity

 

[jono]

He traded pulls before the Poggio even though he was dying on the Cipressa...

Pride above results.

Perhaps, though it made no difference in the end. He had no chance.

 

[tobydawq]

huh

Lol, right, my bad. I had him as second in Denain in my head.

 

[tobydawq]

Perhaps, though it made no difference in the end. He had no chance.

Probably not but he definitely didn't try to maximise his chance either.

 

[RedheadDane]

Lol, right, my bad. I had him as second in Denain in my head.

Hey... numbers are hard.

 

[YavorD]

He might. But if MVDP has his nose in the wind for more than the final 200m in Oudenaarde he's dumber than we thought. He won't be riding stupidly like today.

Well, for starters, if he is with Pogacar after the last Paterberg, he should be the doing the most, isn't he?

Also, if there's a strong secondary break without potential winners from Alpecin there Pogacar isn't giving him a free ride IMO.

 

[tobydawq]

Hey... numbers are hard.

It had nothing to do with numbers.

 

[jono]

Well, for starters, if he is with Pogacar after the last Paterberg, he should be the doing the most, isn't he?

Also, if there's a strong secondary break without potential winners from Alpecin there Pogacar isn't giving him a free ride IMO.

If he is still with Pogacar after final Paterberg, the gap will surely be nearly a minute, if not more.

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

It was definitely not a fake situp.

ok, so maybe not, might just be what my mind was filled with in the moments up to. Might well be that my interpretation was too quick, but from my point of view, it was pure enjoyment.

 

[Gratemans]

His fans are also hard to understand. On one hand, we are laughing at the guys today because they lost due to passivity; on the other hand, we are laughing at Pedersen for attacking and taking turns.

But a forum isn't one entity. Some people laugh at group 2 from today, some people laugh at Pedersen. Not necessarily the same people.

 

[Red Rick]

At least this might deter Mathieu from doing such extreme solos in the future.

actually losing doesnt even deter him from racing like a fool, so why would this

 

[jono]

ok, so maybe not, might just be what my mind was filled with in the moments up to. Might well be that my interpretation was too quick, but from my point of view, it was pure enjoyment.

Not a fake sit up. The smartest move, or at least the move that is made based on the opponents also acting rationally, would have been for Mathieu to sit up a few km earlier. If he sits on I'm sure he'd still back himself in the sprint.

 

[Extinction]

They were that close to suckling on the teat of greatness, but decided instead to poop on the pile of mediocrity

Exactly, I have never seen such hard-headed quacks give up racing for 1st after so much effort and not closing a 2-3 sec gap.