Pogacar triumphs over jury at Deutschland Tour: "Poor organization"

In an unexpected turn of events, four-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogačar has voiced his criticism towards the jury's decision in the Deutschland Tour.

The controversy arose following the third stage of the tournament, which took place in Kassel. Initially, Dutch rider Danny van Poppel was declared the clear winner of the stage, according to the original results. However, a subsequent infraction during the final sprint led to his demotion. Van Poppel was moved to the end of the first group in the final sprint, and the win was retroactively awarded to Søren Wærenskjold.

Van Poppel's fellow countryman, Matthew Brennan, who stood with him on the podium after the third stage, was not affected by the decision.

Pogačar, who is currently recovering from the exertions of the Tour de France, expressed his disapproval of the decision on Instagram. He described the demotion as an "absolute joke," and suggested that if riders are being demoted, multiple riders could be affected.

The Slovenian cycling star also questioned the consistency of the jury's decisions, referring to past poor decisions. He went as far as to label the jury's work as "poor... as usual."

Pogačar's goal this year is to defend his world championship title in Rwanda. He will return to racing in September with events in Canada.

In the third stage of the Deutschland Tour, Van Poppel was reported to have blocked the way for Matthew Brennan in the final sprint, making a sharp turn. This action may have led to his demotion, although the exact details of the infraction are not clear.

This is not the first time Pogačar has spoken out against questionable decisions in cycling. His criticism of the jury's decision at the Deutschland Tour adds to a growing list of instances where he has called for greater transparency and fairness in the sport.