Pogacar 'regains confidence' in Montreal ahead of Rwanda Worlds
The world champion returned to action in Canada at the weekend, and he warmed up for the defence of his title with a striking display at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal.
Tadej Pogačar has revealed that he was ill in the lead-up to the WorldTour races in Canada, but he said that he had gained confidence from his performance at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal on Sunday.
Pogačar rode to the finish with teammate Brandon McNulty, and the American crossed the line first to claim UAE Team Emirates-XRG’s 85th victory of 2025. The win brings them level with HTC’s all-time record, set in 2009.
“I was a little worried that my shape wasn’t good because I was ill all week before coming here, so I couldn’t train as much as I wanted to,” Pogačar said afterwards, according to L’Équipe. “In Quebec, my legs weren’t at their best, but it was a good race, and I regained my motivation and confidence. It was a good thing to come to Canada.”
Pogačar attacked in Friday’s Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec but had to settle for 22nd place as Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor) claimed victory. In Montreal on Sunday, his superiority brooked no argument, though he waited for McNulty to bridge across after his seated attack with 22km to go.
“After the second climb, there’s a long straight downhill section, and I looked behind me and saw a guy chasing me,” Pogačar said. “I asked over the radio what the situation was, as it wasn't clear to me. Then I got confirmation that it was Brandon, 15 seconds behind, so I waited for him at the top of the next climb.”
From there, the pair cruised to the finish, coming home 1:03 ahead of American champion Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek).
“We did the whole last lap together and that was even more beautiful than when I won alone last year,” Pogačar said after ceding victory to McNulty. “The team made an incredible effort. Everybody did perfectly today.”
After Isaac del Toro’s victory at the Trofeo Matteotti earlier in the day, the GP de Montréal presented UAE with a chance to equal HTC’s 2009 record haul of wins, though Pogačar’s downplayed the importance of the landmark.
“We didn’t really think about it before the race, we didn’t say to ourselves that we should aim for this record,” Pogačar said. “We just come to win; we don’t count the victories.”
Pogačar’s next appointment is in Rwanda, when he rides the individual time trial at the World Championships in Kigali next Sunday. He confirmed his participation in the event last week, and the hilly parcours gives him a strong chance to challenge two-time champion Remco Evenepoel.
The following weekend, Pogačar will line out as the overwhelming favourite for the demanding World Championships road race in Kigali, where Evenepoel and trade teammates Del Toro and Juan Ayuso should be among his challengers.
