In Kigali, Pogacar defends cycling world title with solo run

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KIGALI - Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar won an epic men's road race at the cycling world championships on Sunday, going solo from 66km out in the 267km slog over the hills around Kigali.

"This fills me with sheer joy," Pogacar said clutching his mascot gorilla, troops of which live in the nearby mountains.

Defending his 2024 title the 27-year-old finished 1min 28sec ahead of the Olympic champion Belgian Remco Evenepoel, who crossed the line with his head down after a mid-race mechanical.

"I didn't come here for the silver, I wanted the gold. Destiny had other ideas for me," he said smiling later.

Ireland's 2025 breakout star Ben Healy also wore a broad smile as he took bronze over the balmy, 1500m altitude course leading the chase to catch Pogacar over the 33 hills and earning a place on the podium at 2min 16sec.

Just as impressive was Paul Seixas, the 19-year-old Frenchman tipped as a future Tour de France winner, who came in 13th on a day where officials said crowds of around one million turned out for the final day of the week-long worlds, the first ever on African soil.

Slovenian rider Tadej Pogacar celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the men's Elite road race cycling event in Kigali

The course was made up of 15 loops around the city with two climbs and one longer, even harder loop with an extra cobbled climb.

'Felt so good'

Pogacar broke away with Mexican Isaac del Toro and Spain's Juan Ayuso, who were both on the books of Team UAE this season, but Ayuso had a mechanical and Del Toro ran out of steam.

Pogacar though was a man transformed just a week after a humiliation in the time-trial where he was overtaken by Evenepoel who started 2min 30sec later than him.

"It wasn't the original plan, to attack so far out. The boys tried to stop me but I felt so good," said Pogacar, a four-time Tour de France winner.

This time Evenepoel displayed frayed nerves when he suffered a mechanical, waving away a reserve bike and kicking away stones waiting for his team car.

He lost valuable time with his tantrum but when his car arrived he set off again on another of his golden framed bikes, denoting his Olympic champion status.

He swiftly caught Healy and the Pogacar pursuit, but never at any time was able to chip away at a constant 1min 20sec lead held by the Tour de France champion.

Hopes were high for Briton Tom Pidcock after his third place at the Vuelta a Espana and the Yorkshireman was in the mix until late on and finished 10th.

"That was the most enjoyable race I've done this year," said Pidcock.

For Pogacar the gorilla mascot he picked up for his win may not be the last of yet another dominant season.

He won four stages on his way to the Tour de France title in July, and of the five massive one-day races known as Monuments he won the Tour of Flanders and Liege-Bastogne-Liege, was second at Paris-Roubaix, third at Milan-San Remo and is favourite to win the upcoming Tour of Lombardy in two weeks.

In the women's race Saturday rank outsider Magdeleine Vallieres of Canada pulled of a surprise win.

The winners are awarded a rainbow jersey that they wear for the year, a much coveted prize in a race where riders represent their nation rather than a professional team.