The 2024 World Championship in Zurich for Tadej Pogacar after a 100-kilometer breakaway

Tadej Pogacar made good on his predictions at the 2024 Zurich World Championships, and how. With an attack that defied all logic, surprising all his rivals with still 100 kilometers of the race to go. An imperial ride that only adds to the legend of the Slovenian, who completes a perfect year with victories in Strade Bianche, Volta a Catalunya, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Giro d'Italia, and Tour de France.

An imperial Tadej Pogacar dons the rainbow jersey at the 2024 Zurich World Championships

He was the top favorite to win the 2024 Zurich World Championships, the cyclist who was expected to be the most closely watched, and yet, when no one could even expect it, he launched a crazy attack, more than 100 kilometers from the finish line, catching all his rivals off guard and securing one of the most epic victories in the history of cycling World Championships.

The day dawned in Swiss lands with a change in the weather compared to the rest of the week, where rain had been conditioning all the races. Ahead, 274 kilometers and uncertainty about how the race would unfold, as seen in the other categories, despite the toughness of the course, which naturally made a selection, when it came down to it, breaking away proved difficult.

The 2024 Zurich World Championships started at a fast pace, preventing the usual breakaway of more or less exotic cyclists. In fact, the speed at which they were riding caused these cyclists to drop off the peloton right from the start, in a straight-line section from the start in Winterthur to the extremely tough circuit.

Finally, after about 50 kilometers, the breakaway was formed, made up of cyclists with a certain level: Silvan Dillier, Tobias Foss, Rui Oliveira, Simon Geschke, to whom were added the Polish Piotr Pekala, the Luxembourger Luc Wirtgen, the Estonian Markus Pajur, and the Panamanian Roberto Carlos Gonzalez, although the latter two lost contact on the first climb to Kyburg, the steepest climb in this first part with 1 km at 14%.

Calm returned to the race until a crash occurred involving Pello Bilbao, Julian Alaphilippe, and Joao Almeida. The Frenchman had to abandon right there after dislocating his shoulder, and Almeida would do the same kilometers later. The incidents did not end there, as shortly before reaching the circuit, Mikel Landa suffered a strong blow to the thigh when Kasper Asgreen fell on him, leaving him out of the race. At the first pass through the finish line, after losing 17 minutes, the Basque rider abandoned, leaving the Spanish team without one of its leaders.

Another notable rider, Mattias Skjelmose, also abandoned after making a wrong move during breakfast that left his back stiff. The Dane tried to continue, but the pain led him to abandon upon reaching the circuit.

The first two laps of the circuit passed relatively calmly, with the Slovenian and Belgian teams, represented by Pogacar and Evenepoel, the two main favorites, setting a brisk pace and not allowing too many attacks. The situation changed at the beginning of the third lap, on the first tough climb of the circuit, where Pablo Castrillo attacked. His attack was not followed by anyone, and Slovenia immediately reacted to neutralize it. However, this was the signal for Jay Vine to launch a strong attack shortly after, forming a very dangerous group with top-level riders like Cattaneo, Jan Tratnik, Pavel Sivakov, Magnus Cort Nielsen, Florian Lipowitz, and Laurens de Plus.

Belgium and Slovenia managed to place two riders in this move, which could mean they would not have to work in the following laps. However, few expected what was about to happen. As the fourth lap began, on the first climb, with still 100 kilometers to go, Tadej Pogacar launched his own attack, completely surprising his rivals and going solo to catch the front group with the help of his teammate Jan Tratnik, who dropped back to collaborate with him. Obviously, Belgium had no choice but to make all their riders work to extinguish this fire that threatened to decide the 2024 Zurich World Championships early on.

Upon reaching the front group, Jan Tratnik focused on solidifying the advantage, and at the beginning of the next lap, with still 3 laps to go, Tadej Pogacar attacked again from the same point, and only his UAE Team Emirates teammate Pavel Sivakov managed to follow his wheel, whom the Slovenian waited for a bit at the end of the climb as he had also dropped him. The Russian-French rider returned the favor by taking a turn at the front, hoping it would help him reach the medals.

 

 

 

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Remco tried to attack from behind but lacked the necessary strength to break away. From this point on, the chase group became a carousel of attacks and counterattacks, and contrary to what usually happens, the pace did not slow down, preventing Tadej Pogacar from increasing his lead, all this with over 200 kilometers in the riders' legs.

As they entered the penultimate lap, on the same climb where Tadej Pogacar had previously made a selection, Pavel Sivakov saw his chances vanish as he could not keep up with the Slovenian's pace. Midway through the lap, an attack in the chasing group bore fruit, an assault led by Ben Healy, Toms Skujins, and Óscar Onley, although the British rider fell back and was caught by Mathieu van der Poel, who had set out in pursuit of the trio but ultimately failed to close the gap. This situation led to the final lap with everything still to be decided.

Although Tadej Pogacar's pedaling had been solid, the attacks from behind intensified with a strong move from Marc Hirchi, who went after Healy and Skujins, reducing the Slovenian's advantage to 40 seconds and giving the impression that the race was starting to take its toll on him. However, fatigue was also setting in behind, and there was not enough strength to launch a truly decisive attack. In fact, an attack from Enric Mas led to a regrouping, dispelling any doubts that had arisen about Pogacar's victory.

Therefore, except for a breakdown or crash, the silver and bronze medals were still up for grabs, but none of the attacks succeeded, with Mathieu van der Poel, very strong, closing all gaps and a desperate and frustrated Remco Evenepoel unable to make a move. And just when it seemed like the race would be decided in a sprint, Ben O'Connor surprised everyone with an unexpected attack, eluding surveillance and opening a gap that secured a silver medal, confirming an excellent season after the same result in La Vuelta.

In the sprint for the rest of the group, there was no competition. Toms Skujins tried to surprise by launching from a distance, but Mathieu van der Poel easily latched onto his wheel and even more easily overtook him to claim a bronze medal, leaving him with a good taste in his mouth after a World Championships in which he did not initially believe in his chances due to the toughness of the course, and surely making him see the upcoming Il Lombardia, one of the monuments missing from his collection, in a different light.

Therefore, Tadej Pogacar will wear the coveted rainbow jersey throughout 2025 after this spectacular victory at the 2024 Zurich World Championships, a victory that makes him the third cyclist in history, alongside Stephen Roche and, of course, Eddy Merckx, to win the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France, and World Championships in the same season. A new milestone to add to his illustrious palmares as a true legend of cycling. What will be the next milestone that the Slovenian will achieve?

2024 Zurich Road World Championships Classification

1. Tadej Pogacar (Slovenia) 6h27'30''
2. Ben O'Connor (Australia) +34''
3. Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands) +58''
4. Toms Skujins (Latvia) +58''
5. Remco Evenepoel (Belgium) +58''
6. Marc Hirschi (Switzerland) +58''
7. Ben Healy (Ireland) +1'00''
8. Enric Mas (Spain) +1'01''
9. Quinn Simmons (United States) +2'18''
10. Romain Bardet (France) +2'18''