Tadej Pogacar Secures Rainbow Jersey In 2024 Zurich Cycling World Championship
Tadej Pogacar won the 273.9km race around Zurich in a time of 6hr 27min 30sec, leaving Belgium’s Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel and reigning world champion Mathieu van der Poel, of the Netherlands, behind in the course.
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Tadej Pogacar produced a stunning solo ride in Switzerland to claim his maiden world road race title in 2024 Zurich Cycling World Championship. With this victory, 26-year-old added another title to his Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and became only the third man to win cycling’s ‘Triple Crown’ in the same year.
Slovenian won the 273.9km race around Zurich in a time of 6hr 27min 30sec, leaving Belgium’s Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel and reigning world champion Mathieu van der Poel, of the Netherlands, behind in the course.
Pogacar quickly bridged a gap to a breakaway group before hitting the front on his own with 50km to go, and maintained his advantage in the closing kilometres, leaving the field to fight for the minor medals.
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“I put a lot of pressure on myself for today,” said the three-time Tour de France winner. “I had pressure for myself and for the team. We came here for the victory.
“After a perfect season it was really a big goal to win a world championship and I just can’t believe it happened.”
Australia’s Ben O’Connor finished second at 34sec. Dutch one-day specialist Mathieu van der Poel was placed third at 58sec after winning a sprint finish for bronze, pipping fourth-placed Latvian Toms Skujins. World time-trial champion Evenepoel came fifth and Swiss rider Marc Hirschi finished sixth.
Pavel Sivakov, a Pogacar team-mate at UAE, rode out ahead with the winner for around 40km before the maverick triple Tour de France winner went for it alone.
With the success, Pogacar became the first man to win the ‘Triple Crown’ since Ireland’s Stephen Roche in 1987, while Belgian great Eddy Merckx was the first to do it in 1974.
In 2022, Annemiek van Vleuten of the Netherlands became the only woman to achieve the landmark.
Tadej Pogacar had skipped the Olympics to target the triple crown, which he sealed with this win in the Zurich course that suited him with its short punchy climbs.
Also Read: Young Alpine Skiers To Watch Out In 2024-25 World Cup Season
Full result from 2024 Zurich Cycling World Championship
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1. Tadej Pogacar, Slovenia, 06:27:30
- 2.O’Connor Ben, Australia +34
- 3. van der Poel, Mathieu, Netherlands+ 58
- 4. Skujins, Toms Latvia+ 58
- 5. Evenepoel, Remco, Belgium+ 58
- 6. Hirschi, Marc Switzerland +58
- 7. Healy, Ben, Ireland +01:00
- 8. Mas Enric, Spain +01:01
- 9. Simmons, Quinn USA +02:18
- 10. Bardet, Romain, France +02:18
- 11. Adrià, Roger, Spain +02:18
- 12. Mollema, Bauke Netherlands +02:18
- 13. Pedersen, Mads, Denmark +03:52