The words of Pogacar (“It was a great battle with myself”) and of Evenepoel (“Before Mount Kigali I ended up in…”)

The recently concluded World Championships will, without a doubt, be one of the most memorable editions in history. Not only was it the first World Championships held in Africa, but it also marked Tadej Pogacar’s second title, once again won with a crazy attack launched 104 kilometers from the finish line, including 66 kilometers ridden solo.

Behind him was a tireless Remco Evenepoel, who never gave up despite countless mechanical issues that plagued him, ultimately settling for second place with plenty of regrets. Joining them on the podium was an excellent Ben Healy, who beat Skjelmose in the sprint for third. The best Italian was Giulio Ciccone, finishing sixth.

Here are the words of the two champions after the finish (reported by WielerFlits, with Evenepoel speaking to Sporza):

TADEJ POGACAR – “I think this course is practically made for this kind of solo attacks. What I was hoping for was that after Mount Kigali a small group would form to ride with. In the end, that happened with Juan and Isaac, but there were some problems. At a certain point Juan started to struggle and Isaac had stomach issues.

So I ended up riding alone very early… It was a great battle with myself, but I made it. The climbs kept getting harder and I also had to keep pushing on the descents, so my energy level dropped significantly in the last laps. That’s when you start doubting yourself, but pushing on is the only thing you can do. What a week it has been. I really found it a beautiful experience.”

REMCO EVENEPOEL – “I think there could have been more in it, given everything that happened to me. It really happened at the worst possible moments. Before Mount Kigali I hit a pothole. After that, my saddle completely sank. This may sound very strange, but because of my different position on the bike my hamstrings completely cramped up. I couldn’t push 400 watts anymore.

During the next passage in the feed zone I had to change bikes. I was already on my third bike, but I felt the saddle wasn’t set the same way. Normally my saddle tilts slightly downward, but I think this time it was just flat. I then had a lot of pain in my lower back. At that point I realized the saddle was too high.

So I absolutely had to change bikes, but just then the barrage was made, so I had to overtake many riders again. After that I felt better and managed to get back into the race. But when you sum up all those moments, it’s just too many. Two chases are a bit too much. It’s a pity, because I felt I was in great shape. I came here for the double.

The withdrawal of Van Wilder was certainly a big loss. With Ilan, maybe we would have had one more rider in the chasing group. We could have worked together at the front, reduced the gap to 35 seconds, and at that point it would have been a completely different race.

Still, we rode a good race and I was able to get a lot out of it. Tonight I’ll try to relax a bit with my teammates and Oumi (my wife Oumi Rayane, ed.), then the focus will be on the European Championships.”

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