Cycling World Championships, Pogacar in history: he attacks 100 km from the finish line and wins solo

We saw something incredible, extraordinarily pogacarian in Zurich. 100 km from the finish line Tadej Pogacar he decided to win the World Cup. And he won it, he triumphed by reaching the finish line alone. Now Pogi is truly in history: after Merckx (1974) e Roche (1987) is the third ever to win the Giro, Tour and rainbow jersey in the same season. Pogacar pedaled for 51 km in total solitude after overtaking the last person who managed to hold his wheel, Pavel Sivakov. Now we will search the almanacs to find such a feat. We will probably have to go back to the 1968 World Championship in Imola, the one won by Vittorio Adorni with another action from far away. Those times, these times: Pogacar cycling is this. Silver for the Australian Ben O’Connor at 34″, bronze for the defending champion Mathieu Van der Poel at 58″. Fifth Remco Evenepoel. The best of the Italians is Giulio Ciccone, 25th: it was, results in hand, the worst World Cup in history for Italy.

The decisive action 100 km from the finish

There were 100km to go when Pogacar tried the madness of a solo attack. The quickest at his wheel was the Italian Bagioli, but quickly ground down by the pace of the Slovenian. A small tactical dilemma arose for Pogi: in front of him, a minute and a half away, there was a rather large group (about fifteen riders in total, including Mattia Cattaneo). Pogacar shot straight and found the fundamental help of his national teammate Jan Tratnik on the way, who helped him get back to the lead with phenomenal shots. At that point, with 4 laps to go, Pogacar could only rely on his legs. A first step to select the group meant that only the Frenchman Pavel Sivakov, his clubmate at UAE, remained with him. The pair proceeded by mutual consent until -51. Another acceleration and Pogi was left all alone, with Belgium desperately chasing a nervous and inconclusive Evenepoel. Nothing to do, it was the right day for the legend. Pogacar almost reached a minute and a half lead over the various groups and groups that formed behind him. A small thrill only on the last lap, when an action by the Swiss Hirschi stimulated a reaction from Van der Poel: the lead dropped, but never below 45”. The deed was accomplished at that point. Pogacar crossed the legendary finish line, screaming with happiness. It’s his first World Cup and the first hug immediately went to his girlfriend Urska Zigart. Ben O’Connor gave Australia an excellent silver with a late attack, Mathieu Van der Poel completed a legendary podium. In Glasgow, with Van Aert in the middle, the two were at opposite ends of the podium. In 2025 Tadej will wear the rainbow jersey. It is his 23rd hit of the season, the 86th of his career. In 2024 he won Strade Bianche, Liège, Volta a Catalunya, Giro, Tour (six stages in each of the two grand tours), Gp Montreal. A feat like this, however, not even him. At Strade Bianche he had attacked at -85. In Zurich it was simply legendary. First career World Championship, first world title ever for Slovenia, which placed only one other rider in the finishing order: Primoz Roglic arrived 64th, but smiling. And big hugs at the end also between Pogacar and Tratnik, the two creators of this true masterpiece.

Pogacar: “I don’t believe it”

“I can’t believe what just happened” said Pogacar after arriving, “after a season like this I put a lot of pressure on myself for today. Maybe I made a stupid attack, but luckily Jan Tratnik was with me It wasn’t the plan to attack with more than 100 kilometers to go. I don’t know what I was thinking, but I gave it everything I had. After the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France I realized that I could only focus on one goal I understood that I had to concentrate on the World Championship”. The first race in the rainbow jersey for Pogacar will be Tour of EmiliaSaturday 5 October.