He triumphed as the championships were staged in Africa for the first time, with hundreds of thousands cheering from the roadside. Belgian Remco Evenepoel, who won the individual time trial title for the third year in a row last Sunday, finished second, one minute and 28 seconds off the pace, with Ireland’s Ben Healy taking third place, another 48 seconds further back.
It was Ireland’s first podium finish in the event since Sean Kelly also claimed the bronze medal in 1989.
Pogacar, whose grimace turned into a smile in the final lap, is only the second rider in the last two decades to successfully defend the rainbow jersey, following Slovakia’s Peter Sagan, who won three in a row from 2015 to 2017.
When Pogacar surged on Mount Kigali with 104 km remaining, throwing caution to the wind, the script felt familiar.
Only his United Arab Emirates-XRG brand teammates, Juan Ayuso of Spain and Mexico’s Isaac Del Toro, could initially follow, but Ayuso soon cracked and Del Toro was cast adrift 67 km from the line, left to watch as Pogacar disappeared up the road for another memorable solo triumph.
–Reuters–
