It is rare to see Tadej Pogacar looking all too human. And yet on the cobbled Cote de Kimihurura in Kigali, Rwanda, that was exactly how the Slovenian seemed. He was but a mere mortal as Remco Evenepoel caught him, passed him and went on to win the men’s elite time-trial at the World Championships for the third year in a row.
Pogacar started 2min 30sec ahead of Evenepoel, taking two deep breaths in the BK Arena before setting out to the sound of drums onto the tough, hilly 40km course. Before the race Pogacar told the Dutch cycling website WielerFlits, “The goal is to challenge Remco Evenepoel,” and he looked true to his word, roaring through the first few corners in search of victory.
But it was clear by the first time check, 10km in, that Evenepoel was having the better day as he crossed the line 45sec faster than Pogacar. And the gap only grew. Evenepoel, the “Aerobullet”, was firm in the saddle as he maintained his smooth cadence while Pogacar rocked side to side, uncomfortable on the bike and in pain, an uncommon sight.
With just 2.1km to go, Evenepoel saw the Slovenian on the cobbled climb ahead of him, he had caught him in what must be a humbling experience for the four-times Tour de France winner unused to being in such a position. Evenepoel didn’t just beat Pogacar, he demolished him, finishing 2min 37sec quicker.
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“On the cobbles, when I saw I was coming closer [to Pogacar] quite quickly I knew I had to push through,” Evenepoel said after the race. “It was really tough so I didn’t want to go over the limit but it doesn’t matter who it was, I just wanted to go as quickly as possible.”
Pogacar admitted it was “a hard one to swallow”. “I gave my everything, of course I’m disappointed Remco caught me but he’s so fast,” he said. “It’s incredible how good he is in this discipline and chapeau really, what a ride by him.”
Evenepoel is perhaps the finest time-triallist in the peloton and has now beaten Pogacar three times this year in that discipline, but the fact that the Slovenian was also beaten by Australia’s Jay Vine and Belgium’s Ilan Van Wilder, who were second and third respectively, suggests Pogacar also had a bad day.
Pogacar was not at his best on his 27th birthday but still finished just one second off a podium position
DAVID RAMOS/GETTY IMAGES
When Pogacar finished the Tour on the top step of the podium he admitted he was tired. “Every year we say it’s the hardest Tour ever, the hardest thing we’ve ever done, it’s all so crazy, but honestly I know that this year was something on another level.”
As well as a tough Tour de France, Pogacar had a hard spring in which he raced at Strade Bianche, the Belgian races, the Ardennes classics and also took on Paris-Roubaix for the first time. He joked about retiring after the Tour and was very open about the fatigue of this season.
Evenepoel now has eyes on being the first man to win four consecutive world time-trial titles
ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT/AFP
As he returned to racing in Canada this month he was beaten by Julian Alaphilippe at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec, finishing an anonymous 29th before helping his team-mate Brandon McNulty to a one-two victory two days later at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal.
After the time-trial in Kigali, Pogacar also revealed he had been struggling with illness ahead of Canada, which may help to explain his form.
“For the [perfect build-up to the] TT I definitely would have needed to skip Canada,” he said, “but after I got sick before Canada and my focus was… not that I gave up on the TT but I had to skip a few big important trainings on the TT bike. [On] the road bike it’s not a question that I can perform well but I knew that if I wanted to be 100 per cent for the road race I had to go to Canada, so I think Canada was a good decision for the road race.”
The Slovenian said that an illness he suffered before racing in Canada this month had hampered his preparation for the time-trial
DARIO BELINGHERI/GETTY IMAGES
Pogacar suggested, then, that his illness caused him to sacrifice Sunday’s time-trial in search of glory in next Sunday’s elite men’s road race, in which he will be hoping to defend his title over the 270km course. But Pogacar’s rivals will be happy to see potential chinks in the Slovenian’s armour in Kigali, some glimmers of hope — although a bad day for Pogacar, on his 27th birthday, still landed him fourth place, just one second off the podium.
He said he has two more hard training sessions ahead of the road race and expects to be ready. “Remco’s super good in this [TT] discipline,” he said. “I hope he prepared 100 per cent for this discipline for today and that he will be 99 per cent ready for next Sunday.”
While Pogacar was below par, take nothing away from Evenepoel who delivered one of the great time-trial performances to finish 1min 14sec ahead of Vine and take his third rainbow jersey in a row. Evenepoel, 25, is only the third man to do so behind Michael Rogers of Australia and Tony Martin of Germany.
“I guess next year I have to go for another one because I want to be the first to get four in a row,” Evenepoel said.
In the women’s elite time-trial, Switzerland’s Marlen Reusser won ahead of the Netherlands’ Anna van der Breggen and Demi Vollering. Britain’s sole competitor, Anna Henderson, managed eighth place on the 31km course.