"It was not a plan. It was just a stupid attack" - Tadej Pogacar admits huge risks in World Championships' winning move

100 kilometers from the finish. Tadej Pogacar put out a 2:30h-long attack at the World Championships to take his first rainbow jersey in the most impressive possible way. But he admits that his winning move was neither planned nor at the time a smart idea when he did it.

“It was not a plan. It was just a stupid attack. I thought very quickly: ‘I am just putting the first bullet to my one knee’. And a few minutes later I thought: ‘Great, another bullet to the other knee’. However, it was a big gap to bridge on your own. But then there was the great Jan Tratnik," Pogacar explained in an interview with Wielerflits. "I was so happy that he waited for me. He is so strong and did what he had to do. Jan [Tratnik] gave me hope, motivation and time to recover. He is so strong, talented and experienced that he knew immediately what to do and did it perfectly. Jan tried not to let me go beyond my limit and that is why I made it.

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It was perhaps Tratnik's presence in the front group and help throughout the flatter sections of the course after Pogacar's attack that proved crucial to maintain a gap over the peloton, led by Belgium. Pogacar had to make another move on the next lap to prevent the peloton from catching up once again and knew he was risking big in a race where he was already the main favourite. But he could count on the small help of trade team teammate Pavel Sivakov who for two laps managed to ride alongside the Slovenian and provide what was key support to him.

“That’s a double-edged sword. I needed him because it was still a long way to the finish, but he also needed me to get a medal. I really hoped he would succeed, because he was very strong," Pogacar said his UAE Team Emirates teammate. "But maybe this course was a bit too much for him after he gave it his all for one lap. I’m really grateful to him for that. It made it a bit easier that I had a friend next to me. We persevered together, but I don’t feel good for Pavel. He really deserved a medal.”

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Pogacar's attack was one of courage, endurance and a whole lot of power, perhaps impossible to replicate by any other rider. Adding to this, due to the lack of radios at the World Championships it was hard to be informed of the gaps and what was happening behind him; but from the team car, soigneurs and the organization motorbike there was a very key help to keep him calm throughout the long-range attack.

"I felt like the bike that was with me gave a time difference every two kilometers. They also wrote the difference on my water bottles that I took from the posts," he revealed.

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Belgians react to inability to catch Tadej Pogacar at World Championships: "He said then that he wouldn’t wait until the final lap. I thought he was joking"

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