\n“Catastrophic” team tactics<\/p>\n
While INEOS celebrated, Horner was confused by the aggression shown by Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe on a stage that should have been a simple transition day. With the queen stage coming up the following day, Horner expected the team to ride defensively to save energy. Instead, they attacked.<\/p>\n
“The catastrophic tactics keep continuing,” Horner said, referring to mistakes from earlier in the week. “Too many times directors are just telling their riders, ‘Every day you have to do something. Every day you have to work.'”<\/p>\n
The criticism focused on a strange moment when Aleksandr Vlasov<\/a> attacked from the peloton, followed shortly by Evenepoel himself. “This is a knucklehead move right here,” Horner argued. “Vlasov throws an attack. It was a ridiculous tactic right here. Why are you attacking? Your two teammates [still in the peloton] are probably tired. That means you only have two guys left.”<\/p>\n “Remco – no one’s going to work with him, and he wants a field sprint not to lose any energy,” he added. “You can still back off the throttle at the top here… Let the sprinter teams take over for you because you only got four guys left.”<\/p>\n The “first page” rider<\/p>\n Despite his criticism of the team car, Horner made it clear that he respects Evenepoel’s talent. He ranks the Belgian as a “first-page rider,” a level reserved only for the best in the sport.<\/p>\n “Evenepoel, I got him fourth on my list. I look at the top four GC guys on my ‘first page’ list, no doubt about that,” Horner stated, placing him alongside Jonas Vingegaard, Tadej Pogacar<\/a>, and Primoz Roglic. “You guys can argue with me on the last two… but the Belgian kid is a wunderkind, first page.”<\/p>\n However, Horner believes that this level of talent is not being supported by the best decision-making in the team car. He pointed out the transition from Soudal Quick-Step to Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe.<\/p>\n “I had to look up who the Sports Director was driving the car here [Klaas Lodewyck]. Well, he was Soudal Quick-Step’s Sports Director,” Horner pointed out. “So Patrick Lefevere has not educated his Sports Directors. And now these guys have gone over to Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe and they’re still racing the same way.”<\/p>\n