Never in doubt: Tadej Pogacar goes long for repeat Worlds win in Rwanda

Never in doubt. Tadej Pogačar’s travails in the time trial last week raised expectations that the World Championships road race in Kigali might prove to be a contest. Instead, it turned out to be an exhibition, as Pogačar annexed his second successive rainbow jersey with disquieting ease.

There was a nagging sense of déjà vu about the whole occasion. Like in Zurich a year ago, Pogačar attacked from a distance, and he was alone for the final two hours of the race. Unlike that winning effort from twelve months ago, there was no late sign of weakness or fatigue, and the last two laps were simply a procession for the Slovenian.

Remco Evenepoel (Belgium) attacked alone from the select chasing group with 20km to go to claim silver at 1:28, while Ben Healy (Ireland) dropped Mattias Skjelmose (Denmark) in the final 5km to take bronze, 2:16 down. 

Evenepoel will rue the three bike changes that cost him so much momentum immediately after Pogačar’s attack, though it was also clear that he simply didn’t have the legs to follow the pivotal move, nor did he ever look like reeling the Slovenian back in once he finally got his head back in the game.

Pogačar’s winning move was a familiar one, as he struck out with a seated acceleration on the climb of Mont Kigali with 104km remaining. Only Juan Ayuso (Spain) could initially track the move, and they were joined by Isaac del Toro (Mexico) over the summit, while the race was split asunder behind them.

Ayuso was soon distanced by his UAE Team Emirates-XRG companions on the steep Mur de Kigali, while Del Toro began to betray signs of suffering once the leaders returned to the 15km finishing circuit. Pogačar waited for his trade teammate at first, but his patience had limits with a rainbow jersey on the line. He eased clear on the Côte de Kigali Golf with 66km remaining, never to be seen again.

By that point, Pogačar had the bones of a minute in hand on the chasers, where Evenepoel had returned to the fray after that series of increasingly frustrating bike changes. The Belgian put up fierce resistance in leading and whittling down the select chasing group on the final four laps, but he could not make any inroads into Pogačar’s lead.

Quite the opposite. The gap was one minute with four laps to go, 1:10 with three laps to go and 1:15 by the time Pogačar took on the final two laps. By that point, with a shade under 30km remaining, it was clear that Evenepoel et al were no longer chasing Pogačar but racing for the right to stand beside him on the podium.

The story of the race and the story of the season.

The World Championships is, at its heart, an elimination race, and the process began early in Kigali. Two-time champion Julian Alaphilippe (France) was ill overnight, and despite a defiant acceleration on the opening lap, he soon drifted to the back of the peloton and abandoned the race.

Shortly afterwards, the day’s early break took shape, with Anders Foldager (Denmark), Julien Bernard (France), Menno Huising (Netherlands), Raúl García Pierna (Spain), Ivo Oliveira (Portugal), Fabio Christen (Switzerland) and Marius Mayrhofer (Germany) forging clear on the second lap.

That septet established a lead of 2:40 over the bunch, but they were never allowed much more, with Belgium taking on a policing role on behalf of Evenepoel. The sheer succession of climbing saw the peloton gradually winnowed down with each passing lap, and the break’s lead gradually wilted too, dropping to 1:30 at the end of lap 9, where the race left the main circuit for an extended lap over the Côte de Péage, Mont Kigali and the Mur de Kigali.

Bernard was the last man standing from the break by the ascent of Mont Kigali, where the race took its decisive turn as he was reeled in. 500 metres or so from the summit, Pogačar launched that so familiar seated acceleration, and immediately broke the peloton apart.

Evenepoel was initially on his wheel, but he quickly slipped backwards, and only Ayuso was able to stay with the defending champion to the summit. Over the other side, another UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider, Del Toro, gave chase, and he bridged up over the other side to form a trio of trade teammates in front.

Richard Carapaz (Ecuador) scrambled to lead the chase, while Belgium marshalled around a clearly struggling Evenepoel in the third group on the road.

The steep, cobbled Mur de Kigali with 99km to go brought further change, with Ayuso quickly distanced by Pogačar and Del Toro, and that pair returned to the main circuit with 45 seconds in hand on the chasers.

On the next time up the Côte de Kimihurura, Del Toro began to betray signs of suffering, but with 78km to go, Pogačar opted to wait for his young companion. The drop in pace, however, briefly saw the chasers shave another ten seconds off the advantage, and it was clear that the Slovenian had a decision to make.

Behind, meanwhile, there was further drama for Evenepoel, who had his second bike change since his travails on Mont Kigali. It briefly looked as though he might abandon, but this change of steed seemed to inspire a recovery of sorts, and he gradually settled into the role of chasers.

On the fifth last lap, with 66km to go, Pogačar realised he could wait no longer for Del Toro, and he eased clear of the Mexican on the Côte de Kigali Golf, and his lead over the chasers grew accordingly, stretching back out to 55 seconds come the base of the next climb of the Côte di Kimihurura.

Behind, however, Evenepoel had now bridged up to a group that included Healy, Skjelmose, Tom Pidcock (Great Britain) and Jai Hindley (Australia), and all of a sudden, the Belgian was back in medal contention and seemingly coming around to the idea that he could pin back Pogačar.

With four laps to go, Pogačar held a lead of a minute over Evenepoel et al, but as the afternoon progressed, it became clear that the Slovenian would not weaken in the slightest. Evenepoel was, by a distance, the best of the chase group, which was reduced to just three – the Belgian, Healy and Skjelmose – for the final two laps. 

Evenepoel pressed clear with 20km to go, but by then, he was racing for silver. The rainbow jersey was already Pogačar’s for the second successive year. He becomes the first man to retain the Tour de France and Worlds in the same year, and it’s hard to imagine that is the final milestone he will reach in his extraordinary career.