{"id":121402,"date":"2025-09-05T19:19:14","date_gmt":"2025-09-05T19:19:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/121402\/"},"modified":"2025-09-05T19:19:14","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T19:19:14","slug":"why-he-can-go-double-rainbow-in-rwanda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/121402\/","title":{"rendered":"Why He Can Go Double Rainbow in Rwanda"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Gazzetta reports Poga\u010dar will face off against Evenepoel in the TT championships ahead of road race title defense. Here&#8217;s why Pogi could win both.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Poga\u010dar is reported to be targeting the road race and TT in Rwanda road worlds.\" src=\"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2174698834.jpg\" data-loaded=\"true\" fetchpriority=\"high\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" style=\"color:transparent\"  bad-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2174698834.jpg\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"py-tight text-left font-utility text-utility3-size leading-utility3-line-height text-text-secondary\"> (Photo: FABRICE COFFRINI\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p>Updated September 5, 2025 06:01AM<\/p>\n<p>Is <a target=\"_self\" class=\"text-primary underline hover:text-primary\/85 overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px] break-all\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/tag\/tadej-pogacar\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Tadej Poga\u010dar<\/a> poised to go double rainbow later this month at the Rwanda <a target=\"_self\" class=\"text-primary underline hover:text-primary\/85 overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px] break-all\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/tag\/uci-road-world-championships\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">road world championships<\/a>?<\/p>\n<p>It could be in the cards.<\/p>\n<p>Reports out of <a target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-primary underline hover:text-primary\/85 overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px] break-all\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gazzetta.it\/Ciclismo\/03-09-2025\/pogacar-al-mondiale-di-ciclismo-in-ruanda-correra-anche-la-cronometro.shtml?refresh_ce\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Gazzetta dello Sport<\/a> indicate the four-time Tour de France champion will take on uber-favorite and\u00a0reigning champion\u00a0<a target=\"_self\" class=\"text-primary underline hover:text-primary\/85 overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px] break-all\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/tag\/remco-evenepoel\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Remco Evenepoel<\/a>\u00a0in the Kigali time trial on September 21.<\/p>\n<p>Poga\u010dar will double back to defend his title from Evenepoel and a horde of climbers in the vert-loaded road race one week later.<\/p>\n<p>No normal time trial<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-964417\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2226633588.jpg\" alt=\"Poga\u010dar wants to win it all, and fast.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\"\/>Poga\u010dar wants to win it all, and fast. (Photo: LOIC VENANCE\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p>The world championship time trial is an audacious addition to <a target=\"_self\" class=\"text-primary underline hover:text-primary\/85 overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px] break-all\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/vuelta-a-espana\/tadej-pogacar-confirms-no-vuelta-a-espana-my-body-is-telling-me-to-rest\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Poga\u010dar\u2019s revised post-Tour program.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>While the 26-year-old is 6* favorite for the stupid-hard road race, his history in championship TTs is, by Poga\u010dar\u2019s platinum standards, weak.<\/p>\n<p>Sixth in Wollongong in 2022 is Poga\u010dar\u2019s best finish in three attempts at a world championship time trial.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s never even backed himself against the clocks at the Olympic Games or Chrono des Nations.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-964416\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Screenshot-2025-09-05-at-08.36.42-1200x266.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"266\"\/>The 2025 time trial championship course is not one for the heavyweights. (Photo: UCI)<\/p>\n<p>Poga\u010dar\u2019s presence at the road worlds time trial is still to be confirmed.<\/p>\n<p>But a very unique course in Kigali must look like a tasty morsel for a modern cannibal who\u2019s already thinking about his legacy.<\/p>\n<p>With nearly 700m of climbing across 40.6km, it\u2019s a parcours that looks like Pogi\u2019s perfect playground. It\u2019s so far from being a specialist\u2019s course that time trial freight-trains like Filippo Ganna and Wout van Aert aren\u2019t even showing up.<\/p>\n<p>An uphill cobblestone strip twists the dial even further from the norm.<\/p>\n<p>Poga\u010dar and his time trial revolution<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-964415\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2223660650-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\"\/>Poga\u010dar distanced everyone except Evenepoel in the stage 5 time trial at the Tour de France. (Photo: MARCO BERTORELLO\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p>Could Poga\u010dar add a new line to his huge palmar\u00e8s on September 21?<\/p>\n<p>Well, yes.<\/p>\n<p>The Poga\u010dar who finished 6th in Wollongong is not the same Pogi as the one who will turn 27 on the day of the Kigali test.<\/p>\n<p>Poga\u010dar and UAE Emirates-XRG made it their mission in the past two seasons to iron out any time trial kinks. Being humbled by Jonas Vingegaard at the 2023 Tour de France Alpine TT flicked a switch for the super-ambitious Slovenian.<\/p>\n<p lang=\"cs\" dir=\"ltr\">62 for Pogi, 64 for Remco but a dinner plate for Primo\u017e \ud83c\udf7d\ufe0f<\/p>\n<p>Tadej Poga\u010dar, Remco Evenepoel and Primo\u017e Rogli\u010d chose differing gear setups for Tour de France Stage 5\u2019s flat, 33km individual time trial, while Edoardo Affini joined Rogli\u010d on a 68-tooth chainring.<\/p>\n<p>&#8212;&#8212;<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/TDF2025?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">#TDF2025<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/U4FPtsrSP3\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/U4FPtsrSP3<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Velon CC (@VelonCC) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/VelonCC\/status\/1942942498025816265?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">July 9, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Time trialing moved closer to the center of <a target=\"_self\" class=\"text-primary underline hover:text-primary\/85 overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px] break-all\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/tour-de-france\/how-tadej-pogacar-changed-everything-for-his-giro-tour-double\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">an all-new regimen<\/a> when Poga\u010dar changed trainer in early 2024.<\/p>\n<p>Poga\u010dar started suffering in the gym to <a target=\"_self\" class=\"text-primary underline hover:text-primary\/85 overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px] break-all\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-training\/the-strength-training-secret-of-pogacar-and-his-tour-domination\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">build the core strength and flexibility<\/a> for peak efficiency in a longer, lower TT position. He switched to his trademark tiny cranks. And unlike earlier in his career, Pogi decided to actually start training on the time trial bike.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s not finished lower than 4th in his eight time trials since.<\/p>\n<p>Finishing <a target=\"_self\" class=\"text-primary underline hover:text-primary\/85 overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px] break-all\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/tour-de-france\/tour-de-france-stage-5-report-results-reactions\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">only 16 seconds behind Evenepoel<\/a> this summer in the flat Tour de France time trial around Caen was Poga\u010dar\u2019s TT crowning glory. His UAE Emirates-XRG director Andrej Hauptman even hailed the effort \u201cclose to perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Evenepoel is currently riding like a madman at a self-styled Tour of Britain training camp. The Belgian will land into Rwanda primed for his time trial defense.<\/p>\n<p>Poga\u010dar will need to be \u201cclose to perfect\u201d to beat him.<\/p>\n<p>Evenepoel will need to be close to perfect to fend him off.<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Gazzetta reports Poga\u010dar will face off against Evenepoel in the TT championships ahead of road race title defense.&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":121403,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[569],"tags":[64,63,784,68224,85,67883],"class_list":["post-121402","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-cycling","tag-parent_category-road","tag-sports","tag-type-article"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121402","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=121402"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121402\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/121403"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=121402"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=121402"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=121402"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}