An unforgettable birthday for Tadej Pogačar. In the road race at the Zurich 2024 UCI World Championships, the Slovenian athlete, born in '98 (September 21), pulled off another masterstroke in a season that, aside from the Vuelta (won by another Slovenian, Primož Roglič), saw him triumph in Strade Bianche, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the Giro d’Italia, and the Tour de France (the only rider ever to achieve all four in the same year) with a naturalness that almost seems frightening, if it weren’t for the fact that this athlete, with an angelic face and hawk-like eyes, is just a guy like everyone else; one of those who doesn't hear the alarm on race day (the World Championships, editor's note): «The first time I turned it off, the second time too, the third I don't even remember. My roommate Tratnik had to pull me out of bed».
Photo Credit: UCI
A "foolish" 100 km breakaway
A foolish move. That's how Pogačar described it. He was referring to his solo 100 km breakaway that earned him the rainbow jersey, the only one missing (so far) in a sensational year: «I made a foolish move, one of those that by the time you realize it, it's too late to fix: you don’t launch a solo attack 100 kilometers from the finish of a bike race, let alone the World Championships».
Easier said than done, especially if your name is Tadej Pogačar and you began the season with a solo 80 km breakaway at Strade Bianche, not exactly an easy terrain for such bold moves. Early season, no less. But that’s Pogi: open-hearted. He respects the peloton but also himself, to the point of breaking those unwritten rules that define every prestigious cycling race. His legs were fresher than the others', so he followed his instinct and took a shot; "o see what it feels like up close", as the italian famous singer Enzo Jannacci once said.
And the effect was devastating because no one expected such an attack, especially during a phase of the race where everyone was still assessing each other. Tactics. Too many, perhaps, for someone like Pogačar, who, when his head told him "go", stood up on the pedals as if he were escaping from someone; van der Poel and Remco Evenepoel couldn’t believe it: «Is he crazy? He'll crack». But no. The green Martian took about twenty kilometers to catch the leading group, helped by his national (and room) teammate Tratnik: «I was struggling - said the Slovenian - but I knew the others behind were struggling too».
With just over 51 km to go, Tadej Pogačar found himself alone, as happens with prime numbers. All the way to the finish line. Tears, a liberating shout, bows. An epic achievement, even for someone like him, who, as a child, "couldn't even dream of this jersey". On Saturday, October 12, the Giro di Lombardia will take place, and Pogačar will once again be the man to beat.
Photo Credit: UCI
Evenepoel surrenders
The Zurich UCI Road World Championships were expected to be a duel between Remco Evenepoel and Tadej Pogačar. Instead, it was a Slovenian monologue, as the two-time Olympic gold medalist in Paris 2024 found himself in a not-so-cohesive group of chasers, finishing only fifth: «Before he attacked, I felt we had things under control, so I told Tiesj (Benoot, teammate, editor's note) that if we could keep him at about a minute or 50 seconds, it would be fantastic. Even a medal would’ve been great, but it wouldn’t have changed my career. We gave it our all, but today, there was no beating this Tadej. He was on a grace day, pedaling as fast as we were behind him, so he deserved it. Just look at his season».
Photo Credit: UCI
Ben O'Connor and van der Poel on the podium
Joining Tadej Pogačar on the Zurich UCI Road World Championship podium were Australian Ben O'Connor and Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel, both with opposite emotions: «With that attack 100 km from the finish, I thought he was throwing away his chances - said the 2023 World Champion in the press conference - but today Pogi was on another level. It’s hard to describe how strong he is. I’m sure if you ask Tadej, he’ll tell you that attack wasn't part of his plan. When he broke away, I didn't think he would make it, but he proved us all wrong. As for me, I gave one of my best performances ever, so I can be very happy. There was only one exceptional rider, and aside from him, I was almost racing for the world title. So my bronze medal is worth a lot. My main goal remains the same: Flanders and Roubaix. That’s where my heart is, and I won’t give them up to try to win Liège or Lombardy».
Photo Credit: UCI
A silver medal with great value
The silver medal won by Australian Ben O'Connor carries particular weight. At the Zurich UCI Road World Championships, the Perth-born rider capped off a superb season, including a fourth-place finish in the Giro d'Italia and a second-place finish in the Vuelta: «Coming second was a huge result, for me and for the Australian team; and it comes at the perfect moment. I’ve raced well this year, so I’m very happy and proud to be in excellent company on this podium. Tadej has the rainbow jersey, but second place is a world-class result for me. Now it’s time to rest before thinking about 2025».
And speaking of the new season, Ben O'Connor will no longer wear the Decathlon-AG2R jersey. At the finish line of the World Championships, it didn't go unnoticed when the Australian cyclist embraced a beaming Gerry Ryan, owner of the Jayco-AlUla team and long-time supporter of "green and gold" cycling, who couldn’t hide his happiness seeing O'Connor on the podium and Australia at the top of the medal table, with thoughts already on the new season, which will see him in the Jayco-AlUla roster.
Photo Credit: Chris Auld - SWpix.com
Tadej Pogačar's saddle on bike-room.com
In addition to Ben O'Connor’s bike from the 2023 Tour de France - the BMC Teammachine SLR Masterpiece Limited Edition - Tadej Pogačar's saddle, used to ride and win the 2024 Tour de France, is also available on bike-room.com. It is the Prologo Nago R4 147 Limited Edition (yellow and black colors), a product born in 2018 at the request of the professional teams supported by Prologo and perfected through "Pressure Map MyOwn" tests to meet the needs of all cyclists seeking top performance and comfort, even for long rides.
With compact dimensions (245 mm length and T-shape with a slightly advanced anatomical center), the Prologo Nago R4 Tadej Pogačar Limited Edition offers good freedom of movement on the saddle and maximizes pedaling efficiency in all positions. Its semi-round ergonomic shape also makes it the perfect choice for cyclists with medium flexibility in terms of pelvis rotation.
