Sure, Tom Boonen won the worlds in 2005 in Madrid, but he certainly didn’t win it the way Tadej Pogačar did in Zurich.
“It defies the imagination,” Boonen said in Sporza’s Wielerclub Wattage podcast. “He creates chaos among the opposition. He has never been hunted in an organized manner. I don’t think he really started with a plan; he just tried something. And then he’ll see.”
A ride for the ages
Boonen said the ride was one of the most amazing things he ever saw—something largely echoed by other pros and fans. Pogi attacked with 100 km to go to bridge up to a large break. His Slovenian teammate Jan Tratnik dropped back after being told in the pits that the Tour de France champion was on his way. Since there were no radios, it was the only way to communicate with Tratnik. From there, Pogi rode in the break, only to ultimately take off with UAE teammate Pavel Siakov, who managed to hang on until 50 km to go.
Urška Žigart woke up Tadej Pogačar after he overslept on Sunday
Former pro Jan Bakelants said that Pogačar gave the field a unique opportunity to beat him. That’s because in the closing kilometres, the fatigue of the ride finally caught up with him, and for one of the few times in cycling history, we saw him suffer. At one point, his lead of a minute dropped to 30-odd seconds. It was a tense time, in which it seemed like the dream may die.
A vulnerable Tadej Pogačar
“But they didn’t catch him, which shows how exceptionally strong he was. In the last lap, Pogacar was on the verge of capsizing. He made it harder for himself than it had to be. Pogačar made himself vulnerable, while he could have been untouchable,” Bakelants added. “If I were an emotional person—which I’m not—tears would be rolling down my cheeks. This was perfection. I can’t believe you can pull this off. It doesn’t get any better than this, unless both Remco Evenepoel and Tadej have a top day and we get a duel of the titans.”
With 10 km to go, it was clear Pogi would hang on. The rest of the shattered chasers started playing games, and the race was over. Pogačar became only the third male rider in history to win the Triple Crown—the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, and world championship. And he did it in the most amazing way.
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