Africa-Press – Rwanda. World champion Tadej Pogačar has admitted that there was a lot of pressure on him before he successfully defended his men’s road race title in Kigali on Sunday.
The Slovenian super star, who turned 27 on September 21, powered through the grueling 267.5 km course in 6 hours, 21 minutes, and 20 seconds, and cross the finish line in celebration before cheerful thousands of cycling fans at Kigali Convention Centre including President Paul Kagame, UCI President David Lappartient and Prince Albert II of Monaco among other high profile guests.
Pogačar this time won the men elite road race world title, having finished the race one minute and 28 seconds ahead of his Belgian rival Remco Evenepoel, who endured a mid-race mechanical before settling for silver. Ireland’s Ben Healy claimed bronze after finishing 2 minutes and 16 seconds behind Pogačar.
« I am really happy that i made it, am so happy that we could pull it off as a team because we had a lot of pressure and come here as favourites…we pulled it off and i am proud and happy, » said Pogačar after the victory.
“It was an amazing experience here, and to put on the jersey again after one year is incredible,” add the world number one who also lauded Rwandan crowd and atmosphere that pushed him through the tough climbs of Mure de Kigali and Cote de Kimihurura (Kwa Mignonne).
Speaking about his experience in Rwanda, and his first time racing in Africa, the four-time Tour de France champion hailed the country’s landscape which helped him prepare well for Sunday’s victory.
“I really feel it; it’s the nation of a thousand hills. From the moment I arrived here until today, when I’m leaving, I will remember Rwanda in a really positive way. I had one of the best training experiences here with my girlfriend (Urška Žigart) and my team. This made the race even more special,” he said.
The 2025 UCI Road World Championships in Kigali marked the first time the event was held on African soil, and Pogačar’s triumph will forever be linked with this historic milestone.
General Classification Results
Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia) — 6:21:20
Remco Evenepoel (Belgium) — +1:28
Ben Healy (Ireland) — +2:16
Mattias Skjelmose (Denmark) — +2:35
Toms Skujiņš (Latvia) — +6:41
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