€100,000 price tag makes post-Tour criterium organizers hesitate about Tadej Pogačar

©picture alliance / HMB Media | Joaquim Ferreira

Tadej Pogačar does not fit within the budget of the post-Tour criterium in Aalst. Organizer Renno Roelandt says that the requested appearance fee of 100,000 euros is too great a financial risk for a free criterium. According to Het Nieuwsblad, it appears he will not be competing in the Netherlands after the Tour de France for the same reason.

The post-Tour Criterium of Aalst will have to do without Tadej Pogačar this year. While the organizers are working behind the scenes to secure big names from the Tour de France, according to Renno Roelandt, the Slovenian is reportedly out from the start. The organizer says he cannot justify Pogačar’s asking price — reportedly 100,000 euros—within the budget of a free public event, as reported by Nieuwsfiets. Roelandt emphasizes that a criterium like Aalst cannot afford that amount. “We simply cannot afford him,” he states in Het Belang van Limburg. “As the organizer of a free criterium, we simply cannot afford the amount he’s asking for. The financial risk is too great.” This makes it unlikely that the yellow jersey wearer will appear at the start in Aalst on July 22.

Competition among criteriums

Aalst isn’t the only city fishing in the same pond. The Dutch town of Boxmeer is also hoping to attract top riders from the recent Tour, though no one there expects Pogačar to show up either. Organizer Pierre Hermans says that various factors come into play, such as the team’s schedule, family commitments, and potential altitude training. Moreover, there is competition among the post-Tour criteriums, meaning organizers don’t have complete control over the situation.

According to Roelandt, the actual composition of the starting lists won’t become clear until next week, once the Tour de France is over. That’s when the final pieces of the puzzle usually fall into place, he says. As Het Nieuwsblad emphasizes, Aalst is still hoping for Remco Evenepoel, among others, though that, too, remains to be seen for now. 

Big names

Post-Tour criteriums have been a long-standing tradition in Belgium and the Netherlands for years, with races in Aalst, Roeselare, Herentals, and Boxmeer, among other places. Big names draw crowds and boost the event’s profile, but their appearance fees can put a heavy strain on the budget. In Aalst, the decision is now straightforward: the sporting value Pogačar brings does not outweigh the financial risk.

©picture alliance / HMB Media | Joaquim Ferreira