![\"Tadej](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/tadej-pogacar-69cd5d501f2ff.jpg@webp.webp\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
“There would have to be no problem, no crash, no illness.” He signs off with a humorous warning: “If he wins all five, he should stop right away and go on holiday so the others can exist. So thank you, Pogacar\u2026 but don\u2019t win all five.”<\/p>\n
Flanders, a battle of wits<\/p>\n
Next up is the Tour des Flandres, where the duel between Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel again dominates every preview. Guimard concedes the terrain suits the Dutchman: “These are races that fit Van der Poel, especially thanks to his technical skills.”<\/p>\n
But even that doesn\u2019t settle the question: “Who can beat Pogacar? Maybe Van der Poel, but he seems a bit below.”<\/p>\n
The analysis also turns to tactics, where the Frenchman highlights the Dutchman\u2019s capacity to bluff: “His poker face is incredible: he pretends to crack, his rivals hesitate and he\u2019s holding 400 watts. Result: the gap grows and that\u2019s that.”<\/p>\n
As for how the race might unfold, he avoids certainties: “Everyone imagines the same scenario. But will it be that one?”<\/p>\n
And he is clear about where the difference will be made: “The winner will be the craftiest, the calmest, the smartest, the one who exploits the slightest mistake.! Ultimately, though, he circles back to the same conclusion: “Maybe Pogacar is simply stronger.”<\/p>\n
Cycling starts in March<\/p>\n
Beyond the headliners, Guimard doubles down on his global view of the calendar. In his eyes, the true competitive pulse starts now: “The important races begin in March.”<\/p>\n
After a back-and-forth with Marc Madiot, he nuances his stance: he doesn\u2019t deny the value of earlier races, but sees them as part of the build-up. “February, and even January, are just training and preparation races.”<\/p>\n
His argument leans on tradition and audience: “People only follow races with history,” he says, underlining the weight of European cycling versus newer events outside the continent.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Tadej Pogacar won the 2026 Milano-Sanremo<\/p>\n
A widening dominance<\/p>\n
The major March stage races have reinforced another of his concerns. Guimard sees little surprise in the outcomes: “We always have the same winners.”<\/p>\n
In his sights, a trio that makes the difference: Pogacar, Van der Poel, and Jonas Vingegaard. The consequence is clear: “The gap between the superstars and the rest of the peloton is widening.”<\/p>\n
While he acknowledges the rise of young talents, he warns they remain some way from shifting the current balance: the leaders\u2019 tempo makes it increasingly hard to challenge their hegemony.<\/p>\n
Evenepoel under scrutiny<\/p>\n
In contrast to that dominance, Remco Evenepoel\u2019s situation raises questions. His recent form doesn\u2019t convince Guimard: “Today, Remco is not at his best.”<\/p>\n
The Frenchman identifies a clear breaking point: “I have the impression everything fell apart after his crash at Il Lombardia.” Since then, he senses a trajectory marked by doubt: “He\u2019s a rider searching for himself, doubting himself.”<\/p>\n
He even points to changes in behaviour: “Right now he gets rattled by trifles. That shows he doubts himself.” He concludes with a hint of regret: “It\u2019s a shame, because he\u2019s a true champion.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" “There would have to be no problem, no crash, no illness.” He signs off with a humorous…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":577123,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[445],"tags":[49,48,635,221346,82,1422,58564],"class_list":{"0":"post-577122","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-cycling","11":"tag-cyrille-guimard","12":"tag-sports","13":"tag-tadej-pogacar","14":"tag-tour-of-flanders"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/577122","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=577122"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/577122\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/577123"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=577122"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=577122"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=577122"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}