{"id":927475,"date":"2026-04-30T00:48:19","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T00:48:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/927475\/"},"modified":"2026-04-30T00:48:19","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T00:48:19","slug":"it-all-started-with-a-wrong-decision-by-jasper-philipsen-tadej-pogacars-comments-were-unfair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/927475\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cIt all started with a wrong decision by Jasper Philipsen… Tadej Pogacar’s comments were unfair\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"


\nVan der Poel\u2019s double puncture in quick succession triggered one of the most talked-about sequences of the race, as confusion over a bike change cost significant time. \u201cIn my opinion, it all started with a wrong decision by Jasper Philipsen<\/a>, which then created confusion,\u201d Marangoni explained to Bici.Pro.<\/a> \u201cHe didn\u2019t think it through. He immediately wanted to give his bike to Van der Poel without considering that he is shorter, so the bike is smaller and especially that he had different pedals. That\u2019s where the disaster came from.\u201d<\/p>\n

In practical terms, the solution could have been far simpler. \u201cWhen it would have been enough to give him the wheel and they would have lost half the time,\u201d he added, underlining how quickly a small decision became decisive.<\/p>\n

Decision-making under pressure<\/p>\n

For Marangoni, the issue was not just the mistake itself, but the lack of preparation for such scenarios. He felt that even Van der Poel \u201cwasn\u2019t completely clear-headed,\u201d despite how it may have appeared from the outside.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn those situations it\u2019s not always easy to make the right decisions,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s why I think they should train this as well, managing unexpected situations, especially in a race like Roubaix.\u201d<\/p>\n

That perspective points to a wider gap in modern race preparation. \u201cI don\u2019t think they have meetings about this, which is strange if you think about how every other detail is studied,\u201d Marangoni continued. \u201cIt would be enough to decide in advance what to do if something happens. Make a list of possible problems. For example, when it\u2019s better to give the bike to the leader, when it\u2019s better to wait for the team car, and when to just change the wheel.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Tadej<\/p>\n

Tadej Pogacar eventually finished 2nd at Paris-Roubaix 2026<\/p>\n

Bike vs wheel: a key mistake<\/p>\n

The Arenberg incident also highlighted what Marangoni sees as a growing trend in the peloton. \u201cSometimes it seems like riders are so used to changing bikes for every problem that they don\u2019t even consider that sometimes it\u2019s better to just change the wheel,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

That distinction, he argues, can be decisive. \u201cOf course, maybe by changing the wheel you lose a few seconds immediately, but then you have your own bike,\u201d Marangoni explained. \u201cIf instead you find yourself on a bike that isn\u2019t yours and you have to ride it for 10 or 20 kilometres, you obviously can\u2019t push in the same way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pogacar and neutral service<\/p>\n

The Slovenian\u2019s own misfortune added another layer to the race\u2019s mechanical chaos, particularly his use of a neutral service bike. \u201cI spoke to a Shimano mechanic and he told me they have five bikes with the measurements of the five favourites, plus a telescopic seatpost to deal with any situation,\u201d Marangoni said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe Pogacar didn\u2019t know that or didn\u2019t realise in the moment, but it would have only taken a second to adjust the saddle,\u201d he continued. \u201cFrom the images, it looked too high and he wasn\u2019t pedalling well. So I think his comments were a bit unfair.\u201d<\/p>\n

Communication breakdowns<\/p>\n

Marangoni also pointed to situational factors that compounded the problem. \u201cIn that moment he was at the back of the group and I think they simply didn\u2019t see him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlso, the radio didn\u2019t have signal in that sector, so there were communication problems,\u201d he added. \u201cBut that\u2019s another thing you have to anticipate, because in that race anything can happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chaos as part of RoubaixUltimately, the 2026 edition reinforced the unpredictable nature of Paris-Roubaix<\/a>, where preparation and instinct must constantly adapt to circumstances. \u201cI would tell the riders that problems will happen, but they can almost always be managed with the help of teammates,\u201d Marangoni said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, if you break your bike in two you have to wait for the team car, but that doesn\u2019t happen in every race,\u201d he continued. \u201cI would spend half an hour the day before, or the morning of the race, listing ten possible problems and ten quick solutions to handle them in the best way.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a race defined by chaos, those decisions can be the difference between staying in contention and watching it ride away.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Van der Poel\u2019s double puncture in quick succession triggered one of the most talked-about sequences of the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":927476,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4104],"tags":[4230,88916,10103,79,16152,181698,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-927475","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-cycling","9":"tag-jasper-philipsen","10":"tag-paris-roubaix","11":"tag-sports","12":"tag-tadej-pogacar","13":"tag-uae-team-emirates-xrg","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116490908831590775","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/927475","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=927475"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/927475\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/927476"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=927475"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=927475"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=927475"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}