Less than a week after winning the first world champion title of his career in Zurich, Slovenian Tadej Pogacar celebrated his rainbow jersey by winning the Tour of Emilia on Saturday in Bologna.
The Slovenian Tadej Pogacar achieved a new demonstration for his first race with the rainbow jersey of world champion by dominating the Tour of Emilia on Saturday in Bologna. Pogacar, 26, signed his 23rd victory of the year in 56 days of racing, an exceptional ratio which makes his 2024 season one of the most beautiful in the history of cycling. Under intermittent rain and fog, the winner of the 2024 Tours of France and Italy once again disgusted the competition, including the Belgian Remco Evenepoel and his compatriot Primoz Roglic, defending champion and three-time winner of the event which allows prepare for the last major meeting of the year, the Tour of Lombardy (October 12).
“As the new world champion, I felt some pressure”
Six days after his fantastic 100 km raid at the Worlds in Zurich, “Pogi”, second in the race in 2022 and 2023, let go of his last rivals 37 kilometers from the finish thanks to the first of five ascents of the formidable San Luca wall (2.1 km at 9.6%). He already had a 35-second lead after the first lap of the final circuit contested on a wet road, an advantage which only grew afterwards to exceed a time of two minutes. On the finish line, at the end of 215.8 km, Tadej Pogacar beat the Briton Tom Pidcock, second, and the Italian Davide Piganzoli, third, at 1 min 54 sec.
“I’m super happy to win this race with the world champion jersey on my shoulders. I felt really good today whereas the four days following my title, I was empty,” he said. he declared. “As the new world champion, I felt some pressure, but it was a great day,” insisted the Slovenian. The phenomenon of the UAE team will be back in the race on Tuesday in the Three Valleys of Varesin before the Tour of Lombardy where he will aim for a fourth consecutive victory.
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