"A hard one to swallow" - Tadej Pogacar reacts to Evenepoel overtake and World Championship disappointment
Cycling
Remco Evenepoel produced a time trial masterclass at the 2025 World Championships in Kigali, storming to a second rainbow jersey in the discipline with a performance that left his rivals gasping. The Belgian was on another level from the first split and, in a moment destined for highlight reels, caught and passed Tadej Pogacar on the road in the closing kilometres.
For Pogacar, riding on his birthday, the day ended in frustration. The Slovenian finished agonisingly close to the podium, just a single second adrift of the bronze medal taken by third-placed Ilan van Wilder, with Jay Vine taking silver behind the runaway Evenepoel.
“It’s really bittersweet,” Pogacar admitted afterwards in conversation with Cycling Pro Net. “Maybe if I’d known I was only one second from the podium in the last kilometre, I could have found a little extra. Today I’ll probably regret that, but tomorrow is a new day. It wasn’t my best performance, but given the circumstances I can be satisfied with how I suffered.”
Illness, Canada, and the road to Sunday
The Slovenian star revealed that illness in the build-up to Canada had disrupted his time trial preparations, preventing him from completing a block of work on his TT bike. “If I wanted to be 100% for the time trial, I should have skipped Canada,” he explained. “But I knew I had to go there to be at my best for the road race. So it was the right decision in that sense.”
Despite the disappointment, Pogacar was full of respect for Evenepoel’s brilliance. “It’s a hard one to swallow, for sure,” he said. “But it’s Remco – he’s just so good in this discipline. Hopefully he gave 100% today and will only be 99% ready for us next Sunday.”
Pogacar was overtaken by Evenepoel on course
The Kigali parcours, with its high-speed descents, technical sections and altitude factor, drew praise from Pogacar. “You need good legs but also a really good position. The downhills were important, the roads were fast, and the elevation made it tough. I’ve enjoyed training here the past few days and now I’m really looking forward to the road race.”
If the time trial did not deliver the birthday gift he wanted, Pogacar remains motivated for the weekend ahead. “Last year I won Worlds on my brother’s birthday, which was special. This year wasn’t to be on mine. But maybe I can give myself the best present next Sunday.”
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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