Tadej Pogačar once again stamped his authority on the cycling world, taking a second successive rainbow jersey and further laying claim to the title of the best cyclist ever.
As he always can, he benefitted from excellent support from the Slovenian team work early in Sunday’s race, but the final 100km were all his own work.
Pogačar arrived on a long loop outside the KIgali city circuit used by all the other races having never put his nose in the wind, the bright green jerseys of his team mates covering all the early moves and controlling a six-man break.
Only as he reached the toughest slopes of Mont Kigali, the day’s most testing climb, over 100km from the finish, did he show himself, closing dow the final escapee, before launching his winning move. Over the top he found himself with two of his UAE Team Emirates-XRG trade team mates, Isaac Del Toro, representing Mexico, and Juan Ayuso (Spain).
“I think the parcours was designed for this,” he said in his winner’s interview. “I was hoping that a small group would form like we did with Juan and Del Toro, a perfect combo. I was like this is dreams to ride together as far as possible as a trio, but Juan had a problem quite soon on the cobbles and Del Toro had some stomach problems in the race, so I was left alone quite early and I was solo like last year just fighting with myself, but I’m so happy I made it.”
For mere mortal it seems odd that a rider with his ability and palmarès might have doubts, but the enormity of the task was not lost even on Pogačar.
“For sure, because the climbs were getting harder and harder every lap, and also on the downhills it was not so fast, you still had to pedal quite a lot so the energy resources were going towards the end, and it was so hard those few final laps. Of course you doubt a bit but you have to push through and hope for the best.”
For a while now commentators have been comparing Pogačar’s achievements to those of Eddy Merckx, and this year has added to those comparisons. In 2025 alone he has amassed 17 victories, almost unheard of for a GC rider and more than sprinter Tim Merlier. However, Pogačar’s achievements include the Tour of Flanders, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, four stages and the GC at the Tour de France.
And though his five grand tour titles and nine Monument victories can’t quite match Merck’s total, he is only 27 and Sunday’s rainbow jersey win makes him the first man to win both the Tour de France and World Championship in consecutive years.
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