At the World Championships held in Zurich, Tadej Pogacar secured a win in the men’s premier road race on Sunday. This victory has put him in the distinguished legacy of male cyclists who have attained the informal triple jewel – a feat last accomplished by Stephen Roche of Ireland in 1987.
Earlier this year, Pogacar had already made headlines by being the first to grasp the Giro d’Italia-Tour de France double in over a quarter of a century. Marking yet another impressive showing of his unrivalled supremacy, Pogacar rode solo for slightly more than 50 kilometres of the remaining 274km race, securing the rainbow jersey and augmenting his astonishing repertoire.
However, his daring attack was initiated much earlier – with still 100km to go. He manoeuvred past a substantial breakaway, quickly taking the race’s helm. Once he distanced himself from Pavel Sivakov, creating a one-minute gap, it appeared effortless for the Slovenian.
Unexpectedly, a riveting chase ensued with the group including Olympic champion, Remco Evenepoel, and reigning world champion, Mathieu van der Poel, who whittled his lead to approximately 40 seconds just before Pogacar dipped into the final long descent into the city.
The 26-year-old emerged victoriously with a lead of 34 seconds over Australian Ben O’Connor, whereas Van der Poel walked away with bronze. Ireland’s Ben Healy, despite exceptional performance, fell short of the medal standing, finishing seventh, trailing Pogacar by a minute.
“Unbelievable! What just transpired is still sinking in,” said Pogacar. “The pressure was immense after such a remarkable season; both internally and from the team as the goal was clear – victory. The race unfolded at a rapid pace. A threatening breakaway was happening in the lead. Maybe my attack was impulsive but luckily I had Jan [Tratnik] alongside and I persisted till the end. An outstanding day!”
The illustrious achievement of the Tour, Giro, and rainbow jersey triple feat was first by Eddy Merckx in 1974, followed by Roche, 13 years later. The only female cyclist to have won the triple title is Annemiek van Vleuten, who did so in 2022.
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