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GENT, Belgium (Velo) — Tadej Pogačar fired a shot across the digital bow ahead of the Tour of Flanders, branding social media as “the cancer of our society” in a blunt press conference.
Pogačar didn’t hold back when the topic turned to the recent online backlash swirling around disappointments from Wout van Aert and Visma-Lease a Bike so far in the spring classics.
“Social media is the cancer of our society,” Pogačar said. “You can be on social media all day, and there are a lot of positive things, but always the negative things come out the most. It can ruin your day and it’s really not worth it.
“It’s best not to care about those things and the easiest way to not care about those things is to not read them and not be anywhere present,” he said.
He was also refused to bite when asked if he’s hoping to dole out some revenge against Mathieu van der Poel at the Tour of Flanders after his loss at Milan-San Remo.
“Revenge for Sanremo at Ronde? I don’t know why I would be bitter or looking for revenge when nobody did anything bad to me, so there is nothing about revenge.”
After fielding several questions about his decision to race Paris-Roubaix, Pogačar was asked about his legacy.
“I don’t think about what I want to be, how people see me,” he said. “I want to do whatever keeps me interested in cycling and not to lose motivation and just give up, because it becomes boring, every year it’s the same. I just want to get all the experiences of cycling, so when I retire, I will not have any regrets and say that ‘I did my best in every aspect of cycling’.”
And finally when asked about what tastes better after a win:
“Champagne is not my favorite, and I don’t drink a lot of beer. The best feeling is to get home to your bed and have a chill night without any stress,” said Pogačar said, who strolled back to his room, leaving the media scrambling.
Lamperti joins Quick-Step’s De Ronde roster, Magnier re-ups
Soudal Quick-Step starts as an outsider in the race it used to dominate Sunday at De Ronde.
The team confirmed American Luke Lamperti will make his monument debut Sunday alongside Pascal Eenkhoorn, Yves Lampaert, Paul Magnier, Casper Pedersen, Pepijn Reinderink and Bert Van Lerberghe.
“De Ronde is the same long and hard race that we know,” said sports director Tom Steels. “The wind could play an important role, especially between the climbs.”
French prodigy Paul Magnier, 21, fresh off three second-place finishes in early-season classics this spring, extended his contract through 2027.
“I’m excited for Sunday. It will be my first monument, and it’s really special to make my debut in a race like this as De Ronde. I look forward to it. From the moment the team contacted me I began dreaming of doing the cobbled classics,” Magnier said.
“It was an easy decision when it came to signing a new agreement, as this is more than a team. I like that everybody is so friendly here, as this helps for the overall team spirit, not just in a race, but also outside of one.”
Visma unleashes ‘Wingbeat’ kit ahead of De Ronde
Visma-Lease a Bike will hit Flanders in a fresh look: the “Wingbeat” kit.
The team said the new-look jersey builds on its image as the “Killer Bees” and uses the slogan “Power of the Beehive.” Both the men’s and women’s teams will race with it on Sunday.
“The Wingbeat symbolizes the first movements of a swarm of bees in spring,” the team said. “Every movement is deliberate, every action contributes to our collective ambitions.”
Chief business officer Jasper Saeijs said there will be more special kits throughout 2025.
“Over the past years, it has become a familiar moment for cycling fans: during the Tour de France, we appear in a redesigned jersey. In 2025, we are building on that tradition with multiple releases throughout the season, each with its own story but always recognizable as our team,” he said.
“We remain true to our strong visual identity, our signature colors, and a nod to our nickname in the peloton. The Tour of Flanders is the perfect moment to introduce the first special kit.”
