'He starts slower, then spins at an incredible cadence' - Evenepoel decodes Pogacar’s attacks

Rather than frustration, there was a hint of admiration as Evenepoel reflected on how Pogačar made the difference. According to the Belgian, the world champion’s attacking style is unlike anyone else’s. “I have seen it live a few times now, and I don’t feel like he shifts at all,” he explained in an interview with HLN. 

“He starts his attack at a slightly lower cadence, then suddenly increases it to an incredibly high rhythm. It is a power effort that he executes perfectly. Really impressive to watch.”

He also described what it felt like to face that acceleration. “When Tadej attacked, I had to go into survival mode,” he said. “It was not even the steepest part of the climb. It is special to see how he can still accelerate despite that brutal opening tempo from Vine.”

Evenepoel admitted the gap remains small but significant. “At breakfast, I checked the Strava times on the Passo di Ganda,” he said. “I think I was not far off, but Tadej still rode almost a minute faster.”

For the third week in a row, after the World and European Championships, Evenepoel had to settle for second place. “I dropped Del Toro and Seixas on the climb and Storer on the descent. This was the maximum I could do.” he said.

Earlier this week, the Olympic champion had already discussed his ongoing pursuit of Pogačar, joking about his upcoming move to Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe. “Luckily, I’m changing teams, so it’s their problem,” he said after the European Championships. “It’s up to my new coach to solve it.”

Inside his future team, there is growing belief that the gap to Pogačar can be closed. Team manager Sven Vanthourenhout told HLN that with the right approach, Evenepoel can reach the Slovenian’s level in one-day races. 

“Pogačar is exceptional on long climbs, but in other areas Remco can match him,” he said. Vanthourenhout pointed to the Slovenian’s ability to sustain explosive efforts on climbs as the key difference, but believes targeted training under new coach Dan Lorang will help narrow that gap.

At Il Lombardia, the gap was still there, but so was the respect. “I know where I need to improve,” Evenepoel said. “And watching how Pogačar does it just gives me more motivation for the winter.”