Tadej Pogačar admitted he may have miscalculated his schedule after being overtaken by Remco Evenepoel in Sunday’s elite men’s time trial at the world championships.
The Belgian defending champion started two and a half minutes behind the Slovenian. But dayum. Evenepoel stormed past Pogačar on the final cobbled climb of the 40-km course. He went on to take his third consecutive world title. Meanwhile, Pogačar was just one second shy of the podium behind Jay Vine and Ilan Van Wilder.
“I gave everything, but of course I’m disappointed,” Pogačar told Eurosport. “And Remco caught me… but he is so fast. It’s unbelievable how good he is in this discipline. Chapeau, really. What a race from him. I saw I was one second from the podium, which is bittersweet. If I’d known that, maybe I would have had a bit of extra motivation in the last bit. Today I may regret it, but tomorrow is a new day.”
Tadej Pogačar wins even when he doesn’t cross the line first
It is not often you see Pogi caught (if ever?). To see the green-kitted superstar be overtaken was, for some cycling fans, surreal. But for the reigning world road champion, he took it in stride.
“It’s Remco. He’s so good at time trialling. I hope he put everything into this today and that he’ll only be at 99 per cent next week,” he joked, pointing to next Sunday’s road race.
Pogačar also reflected on the impact of his recent Canadian races, saying the trips to Les Grands Prix Cyclistes de Québec et de Montréal may have cost him some time trial preparation. “For this time trial, maybe I should have skipped the Canadian races. But if I want to be 100 per cent for the road race, I had to go. Canada was a good decision with that in mind,” he said.
For us Canadian fans, we are grateful one of the greatest riders of all time stopped by in his prep for the road worlds. And hopefully it pays off. It would be nice for him to keep his current outfit. New kit day is not a good option when you’ve been world champion, and then you’re not.
There is all kinds of action coming up in Rwanda this week, with lots of Canadians racing in various disciplines and categories. (Shoutout to Michael Leonard for his 12th today, and Olivia Baril for her 20th btw.)
Sure, the men’s road race, where Pogi will defend his rainbow jersey, is on Sunday, but stay glued to Canadian Cycling Magazine for all the upcoming action.