Tadej Pogacar crowned road cycling world champion after a breakaway of more than 100 kilometers

Tadej Pogacar adds a new masterpiece to his impressive list of achievements. Setting out on the attack 102 kilometers from the finish, the Slovenian became world champion on the road for the first time by winning solo in Zurich (Switzerland), Sunday September 29, after covering the last hour of the race alone in the lead, without flinching.

Appearing exhausted in the last of the seven laps of the 26.7 kilometer circuit, the three-time winner of the Tour de France benefited from scoring in the final between the other candidates for the podium. The 26-year-old Slovenian, however, maintained a significant lead over Australian Ben O’Connor (2^e at 34 s) and on the Dutchman Mathieu Van der Poel, defending champion and third of the day (at 58 s).

With this world title, Tadej Pogacar is the third rider in history after Eddy Merckx in 1974 and Stephen Roche in 1987 to win the Tour of Italy, the Tour de France and the world championship in the same year.

“Pogi” trapped the other favorites and took the risk of moving to the front very early, despite a very hilly course of 273.9 kilometers and 4,470 meters of positive altitude difference traced around Zurich. He first came back on several escapes, including his compatriot Jan Tratnik, who got up to bring him back to this group.

True to his offensive temperament, Pogacar again shook this leading group 20 kilometers later, and only the Frenchman Pavel Sivakov, his teammate in the “normal” season at UAE Emirates, was able to follow him, until the penultimate passage in the Zürichbergstrasse, a climb of 1.1 kilometers at 8% average, 50 kilometers from the end.

Trapped at the back, Mathieu Van der Poel and the Belgian Remco Evenepoel, other big favorites of the day, tried to get back on the Slovenian. Without success. The Latvian Tom Skujins and the Irishman Ben Healy set off as a duo in pursuit of Tadej Pogacar, before being taken over by other competitors.

Deprived very early of Julian Alaphilippe, who retired after dislocating his left shoulder during a fall after an hour of racing, the French team struggled to influence the final. First Frenchman on the line, Romain Bardet finished in 11th place^e place for his last participation in a world championship.