Tadej Pogačar tried to forget about his disappointing time trial ride at the Road World Championships with some final training rides in Rwanda, opting to ride with partner and Slovenian teammate Urška Žigart.
On Monday, Pogačar posted an Instagram video of him, Urška and several riders from the Rwanda national team riding together and captured the moment when a local cyclist caught and passed them on a climb. On Tuesday, Pogačar and Urška did a longer ride.
Pogačar is expected to complete a final block of training and a second long ride before tapering and recovering for Sunday’s hilly 267.5km race.
Pogačar’s performance sparked a huge debate about a recent illness, a lack of an altitude camp before the World Championships and suggestions of fatigue after an intense and successful 2025 season.
He dominated the 2024 World Championships road race in Zürich, winning after a 100km solo attack. A repeat of that strategy seems unlikely on Sunday, with the likes of Tom Pidock, Juan Ayuso, Isaac del Toro and especially Evenepoel on form and targeting the world title.
“Pogačar suffered a heavy defeat. It’s a blow that hurts,” wrote Slovenian website EkipaSN, reflecting the surprise at home after a rare and significant defeat.
Pogačar was more sporting, even if the time trial defeat was on his 27th birthday.
Pogačar’s performance sparked questions about his racing and training since he won the Tour de France and what his time trial performance means for Sunday’s road race.
However, he remains Slovenia’s only hope of success, even if Primož Roglič will fly in this week to be part of the team for the elite men’s road race.
“The race will undoubtedly be very difficult. We can all see how Tadej Pogačar is doing lately. We just have to give him space so that we don’t…
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