Bjarne Riis labels Picnic-PostNL’s Tour de France TTT effort ’embarrassing’

The Picnic-PostNL team put in a furious early effort to claim the first green jersey of the Tour de France during the stage 1 team time trial, but not only did they fall six seconds short of setting the quickest time after 5.1 kilometres, they dropped their team leader in the process.

Taking the first points classification lead was a realistic ambition for the embattled WorldTour team, who are under pressure to get results and earn enough points to avoid relegation from the sport’s premier tier in 2028.

By the next checkpoint at the Sagrada Familia church, 10.5km in, they were dead last, and at the finish would end their race just one spot ahead of last-placed XDS-Astana, team who saw three of their riders crash mid-stage.

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Bjarne Riis, the 1996 Tour de France winner, had harsh words for the team on his ‘Riis in the Field’ podcast for Danish website Feltet, labelling their performance “embarrassing”.

“I think it’s embarrassing. Also what they’ve delivered all year. There’s something completely wrong,” he said, as reported by EkstraBladet.

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“That a rider like Warren Barguil loses wheels so early, a class rider like him, it’s just not good enough. It’s clear.”

The Frenchman dropped away part way through their effort, leading to several teammates slowing to keep him aboard. In the end, Robbe Dhondt was their top finisher, racing home with the 41st best time, 1:55 down on Vingegaard.

“At the WorldTour level, you have to be better,” Riis said.

“They are not a new team. I think it’s unambitious. It really disappoints me. They haven’t stepped on a soft hat all year [An old Danish idiom meaning ‘They haven’t accomplished anything’ – Ed.].

“I’m afraid it will be a bit the same here. It’s time to change.”

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