Did it look like it was gifted to you?The complaint was not about how they race, but about their pathetic begging to be handed gifts. No gifts, please. If you don’t like that, race for it.
It's the sort of throwaway comment people will just make in the peloton. How often have we not heard of riders asking to slow down in a way that it's more of a statement of them going hard rather than an actual request to slow down. And it's not like upfront communications about intentions never happens. Like Van Aert trying to convince Pog he wanted to go in the break for the stage win on Luz Ardiden in '21.
And besides, if they were really begging that hard, it'd be a bit weak of Pogacar to give in wouldn't it?