"I want to hope that Tadej Pogacar has gone early - for the sake of the race": Fred Wright reacts to astonishing Kigali Worlds 2025 road race after early DNF

Fred Wright was among the many riders to climb off early in the attritional men’s World Championships road race in Kigali, but the Briton still found time to reflect on both his role and the spectacle unfolding on Rwandan roads.

Speaking to TNT Sports after abandoning, Wright explained that his job had been clear from the start: protect Tom Pidcock and Oscar Onley through the opening phases and the brutal run-in to Mont Kigali. “The job was just to keep Tom and Oscar from using as much energy in the first laps into Mont Kigali. That’s what I did, and there was no way I was getting over it,” he admitted.

Like dozens of others, Wright was undone by the savage tempo on the cobbled gradients that define this year’s Worlds course. Yet rather than frustration, he seemed full of admiration for the event itself. “The crowds were unbelievable. On the steep cobbled climb after Mont Kigali, not many races have been like that. It’s been a special experience this week,” he said, reflecting on the sheer scale of Rwanda’s welcome for cycling’s biggest one-day race.

With Tadej Pogacar having launched a long-range attack more than 100 kilometres from the finish, Wright offered a telling observation from the roadside. “The race is so attritional, even before we got to the big lap. I want to hope that Tadej has gone a bit early, for the sake of the race,” he said, echoing a sentiment many neutrals may share as the Slovenian presses on alone.

At 30km to go, Pogacar still leads by around a minute though, with Remco Evenepoel and a select chasing group fighting to limit losses. Whether Wright’s wish for drama plays out remains to be seen, but his words captured both the brutality and the beauty of a Worlds that is already cementing itself as one of the most memorable in recent history.