Tadej Pogačar has achieved another phenomenal and historic world road race championship triumph, defending his rainbow jersey in Rwanda with a now trademark epic solo ride.
The great Slovenian attacked with 104 kilometres left on Mount Kigali on Sunday, local time, and went it alone 66km from home to destroy the field and become the first man to complete the world championship-Tour de France double in successive years.
With a tour de force that again raises the question of whether he might just be the greatest cyclist of all time, Pogačar had 1 minute 28 seconds to spare over Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel at the end of the 267.7km slog around Kigali, which featured a merciless 5,475m of climbing.
Evenepoel added silver to the gold he had won in the time trial the previous weekend, and was left musing with frustration on how he might have gotten so much closer to Pogačar if he hadn’t lost crucial time because of two bike changes.
Ireland’s Ben Healy took the bronze medal, 2:16 behind Pogačar, to become the first Irishman on the podium since Sean Kelly in 1989.
Pogačar’s victory was truly extraordinary on a day so tough that only 30 riders among the 165-strong field managed to complete the course in hot, stifling conditions, including two battling Australians — Jai Hindley, who was 16th at 10:01 behind Pogačar, and Michael Storer, who was 19th at 10:12.
Pogačar broke Evenepoel and the rest of the field on the Mount Kigali ascent, taking only Spain’s Juan Ayuso and Mexico’s Isaac del Toro — his two teammates at UAE Team Emirates-XRG — with him, but not for long until he finally decided he must cast del Toro adrift.
“Juan had a problem quite soon, and Isaac had some stomach problems, and I was left alone quite early, but I’m so happy I made it,” said Pogačar, who’d won last year’s race in Zurich with a similar assault but had flagged in the later stages.
Not this year, though, even if he admitted: “It was getting harder every lap, so the energy resources were running out near the end. You doubt a bit, but you have to push through and do your best.”
Cheered on by thousands thronging the streets of Rwanda’s capital in a ride befitting the first championships staged in Africa, Pogačar, who made light of the cobbled climb 15 times on the city circuit, even had time to smile on the victory lap, hailing his 6 hours 20 minutes in the saddle as an “extraordinary experience”.
Hindley was at one point looking strong in a five-man chase group headed by Evenepoel that raised hopes he might emulate Ben O’Connor, Australia’s silver medallist last year.
Eventually, though, the relentless climbing took its toll, leaving even one all-time great Primož Roglič, who finished 11th, admitting if felt like “torture”.
Only a week ago, Pogačar’s failure to finish among the medals in the time trial had raised questions about his readiness, but once again, the amazing 27-year-old had the perfect answer as he became the first rider since Juan Alaphilippe in 2020 and 2021 to successfully defend the title.
It capped another amazing year for Pogačar, who claimed a fourth Tour de France crown in July, and added spring classics triumphs at Strade Bianche, the Tour of Flanders, La Fleche Wallonne and Liege–Bastogne–Liege.
He’ll have another Monument in his sights at the Tour of Lombardy next month, with his illustrious Slovenian teammate Roglič left marvelling: “He’s incredible — chapeau to him.”
AAP