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The 2024 UCI Highway World Championships witnessed historical past within the making on Sunday as Tadej Pogačar grew to become the primary rider in 37 years to comply with up this season’s victories within the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France with a gold medal and the rainbow jersey within the elite males’s highway race.
The Slovenian claimed biking’s Triple Crown in devastating model, breaking away from the principle peloton with 100 kilometres to go, blasting by way of a 16-rider transfer then going solo some 50 kilometres from the road.
Pogačar seemed briefly to be in bother as his hole dipped beneath 40 seconds on the ultimate lap, however he nonetheless remained clear for Slovenia’s first ever highway race gold medal, his twenty third win of the 2024 season, and one other big step in the direction of turning into a legend of the game.
The silver medal went to late attacker Ben O’Connor (Australia), crossing the road 31 seconds behind, with defending champion Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands) then claiming the bronze.
However in one of the gorgeous World Championships rides within the race’s historical past, the day in biking, the yr and maybe even the last decade all belonged to Pogačar.
“I can not imagine what simply occurred, after this type of season, I put quite a lot of strain on myself for right now. I had strain from myself, from the crew, we got here right here for the victory.
“The race unfolded fairly fast and there was a harmful break within the entrance, I possibly did a silly assault, fortunately Jan [Tratnik] was there with me and I by no means gave up till the ultimate. It is an unimaginable day, I am unable to imagine what occurred.”
Pogačar confirmed that his assault at 100 kilometres to go, an infinite distance even by the Slovenian’s requirements, had not been deliberate.
“After all,it was not deliberate. We had deliberate to maintain race below management however the race went fairly early and I do not know what I used to be considering and I simply went additionally, I went with the stream and fortunately I made it, however it was so robust.”
“For positive I wished this title, after a few years preventing for the Tour de France and different races, I by no means had a World Championships as a pure objective, and this yr all the pieces went easily already.
“After an ideal season, this was a giant objective to win the World Championships and I am unable to imagine it occurred, I’ve to thank the entire crew, with out them it might not have been doable and I am tremendous pleased with the nationwide crew.”
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