Already winner of the Men Elite road race last year in Zurich, Slovenia\u2019s Tadej Poga\u010dar doubled down with yet another dominant performance on the ascents of the \u201cland of a thousand hills\u201d attacking with more than 100km to go and covering the last 77 on his own to claim his second rainbow jersey at the UCI World championships in Kigali.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2024, Poga\u010dar became the third rider to win the Giro d\u2019Italia, the Tour de France and the Men Elite road race at the World Championships. Again winner of the Tour in 2025, he is now the first rider to win both the Tour and the UCI Worlds two consecutive years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI was alone quite early, and I was fighting with myself like last year,\u201d he reacted. \u201cI\u2019m so happy I made it. For sure, I doubted. The climbs were getting harder and harder every lap. The final laps were so hard\u2026 But you have to push through and hope for the best. It was an incredible experience all together and a successful week.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Belgium\u2019s Remco Evenepoel took the silver medal, 1\u201928\u2019\u2019 behind Poga\u010dar, after claiming gold a week earlier in the individual time trial (ITT). Ireland\u2019s Ben Healy rounded out the podium with a gap of 2\u201916\u2019\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Several nations showed intent to fly their colours at the front of the race and make it lively. Six riders made the early breakaway: Denmark\u2019s Anders Foldager, France\u2019s Julien Bernard, the Netherlands\u2019 Menno Huising, Portugal\u2019s Ivo Oliveira, Switzerland\u2019s Fabio Christen, and Germany\u2019s Marius Mayrhofer. Spain\u2019s Ra\u00fal Garc\u00eda Pierna made it a 7-man lead group after three laps of action also marked by a crash that took Belgium\u2019s Ilan Van Wilder (bronze medallist last Sunday in the ITT) out of contention. In the meantime, France\u2019s Julian Alaphilippe (winner in 2020 and 2021) withdrew early due to illness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Delighting the local crowds with a series of accelerations, Rwanda\u2019s Eric Manizabayo tried to join the early attackers. Tadej Poga\u010dar\u2019s Slovenia, Remco Evenepoel\u2019s Belgium and Quinn Simmons\u2019 USA covered his moves as they took the reins of the peloton to control the first laps. Isaac Del Toro\u2019s Mexico also upped the ante on the 42.5km extension circuit, featuring the ascents of Mont Kigali (5.9km at 6.9%) and Mur de Kigali (0.4km at 11.0%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bernard dropped all his breakaway companions, but was reeled in as Poga\u010dar applied pressure on the steeper sections of Mont Kigali. Only Spain\u2019s Juan Ayuso followed him, and Del Toro bridged the gap on the following downhill, as the race entered the last 100km. The Mexican climber set a strong pace on the Mur de Kigali and Ayuso was dropped, leaving a stellar duo at the front with 90 kilometres to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n