Tadej Pogacar wins the rainbow jersey in the road race at the World Cycling Championships in Zurich. The Slovenian wins after an impressive solo ride.
The best Swiss rider, Marc Hirschi, finished sixth with the first chasing group. Australian Ben O'Connor surprisingly took silver, bronze went to defending champion Mathieu van der Poel.
On the final lap, Hirschi tried several times to break away from his companions behind Pogacar. But he was unable to get through. He had no chance in the sprint for the medals.
Pogacar closed another gap in his already outstanding palmarès with the world championship title. The three-time winner of the Tour de France was determined to win the World Championship title in Zurich and snatched it up with a hussar ride. The 273 km route, with some brutal climbs spread over almost 4500 meters of altitude and constant ups and downs, made for an impressive solo ride.
The 26-year-old Slovenian had already flexed his muscles 100 km before the finish. It turned out to be a decisive attack. On a long climb in Wittikon, he left all the co-favorites behind and caught up with the leading group. There, team colleague Jan Tratnik, a strong time trialist, set the pace before Pogacar also broke up this group 78 km before the finish.
Even at the back of the peloton, coordinated chasing was out of the question with 50 km to go. Everyone was riding on their own account on the hilly course, although Hirschi, double Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel and defending champion Mathieu van der Poel found themselves in a group.
SDA
